University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE 
AND  WORK 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

PRINCIPAL   OF    TUSKEGEE  NORMAL  AND   INDUSTRIAL  INSTITUTE 


WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY 

DR.   J.    L   M.  CURRY 

COMMISSIONER  PEABODY  AND  SLATER  FUNDS 


COPIOUSLY  ILLUSTRATED  WITH   PHOTO-ENGRAVINGS 
ORIGINAL   PEN    DRAWINGS   BY 

FRANK  BEARD 


W.  H.  FERGUSON  COMPANY, 

230-232  East  Fifth  Street, 

CINCINNATI,    -    OHIO. 

1900 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1900 

BY  BOOKER   T.   WASHINGTON 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


Sold  only  by  Subscription,  and  not  to  be  had  in  book  stores.     Any  one  desiring 
a  copy  should  address  the  Publishers 


ALL   RIGHTS   RESERVED 


HON.  FREDRICK  DOUGLASS. 


DR.  J.  L.  M.  CURRY,  WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 


INTRODUCTION. 


HAVE  cheerfully  consented  to  prefix 
a  few  words  introductory  to  this  auto 
biography.  While  I  have  encouraged 
its  publication,  not  a  sentence  has  been 
submitted  to  my  examination.  From  my  inti 
mate  acquaintance  with  the  subject,  because  of 
my  connection  with  the  Peabody  and  the  Slater 
Education  Funds,  I  am  sure  the  volume  has  such 
a  strong  claim  upon  the  people  that  no  com 
mendation  is  needed. 

The  life  of  Booker  T.  Washington  cannot  be 
written.  Incidents  of  birth,  parentage,  schooling, 
early  struggles,  later  triumphs,  may  be  detailed 
with  accuracy,  but  the  life  has  been  so  incorpo 
rated,  transfused,  into  such  a  multitude  of  other 
lives, — broadening  views,  exalting  ideals,  mold 
ing  character, — that  no  human  being  can  know 
its  deep  and  beneficent  influence,  and  no  pen  can 
describe  it.  Few  living  Americans  have  made  a 
deeper  impression  on  public  opinion,  softened  or 
removed  so  many  prejudices,  or  awakened 
greater  hopefulness  in  relation  to  the  solution 
of  a  problem,  encompassed  with  a  thousand  diffi 
culties  and  perplexing  the  minds  of  philanthro 
pists  and  statesmen.  His  personality  is  unique, 

5 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

his  work  has  been  exceptional,  his  circle  of 
friendships  has  constantly  widened;  his  race, 
through  his  utterances  and  labors,  has  felt  an 
upward  tendency,  and  he  himself  has  been  an 
example  of  what  worth  and  energy  can  accom 
plish  and  a  stimulus  to  every  one  of  both  races, 
aspiring  to  a  better  life  and  to  doing  good  for 
others. 

It  has  been  said  with  truth  that  the  race 
problem  requires  the  patient  and  wise  co-oper 
ation  of  the  North  and  the  South,  of  the  white 
people  and  the  Negroes.  It  is  encouraging  to 
see  how  one  true,  wise,  prudent,  courageous  man 
can  contribute  far  more  than  many  men  to  the 
comprehension  and  settlement  of  questions  which 
perplex  the  highest  capabilities.  Great  eras  have 
often  revolved  around  an  individual;  and,  so,  in 
this  country,  it  is  singular  that,  contrary  to  what 
pessimists  have  predicted,  a  colored  man,  born  a 
slave,  freed  by  the  results  of  the  War,  is  accom 
plishing  so  much  toward  thorough  pacification 
and  good  citizenship. 

While  Mr.  Washington  has  achieved  wonders, 
in  his  own  recognition  as  a  leader  and  by  his 
thoughtful  addresses,  his  largest  work  has  been 
the  founding  and  the  building  up  of  the  Normal 
and  Industrial  Institute,  at  Tuskegee,  Alabama. 
That  institution  illustrates  what  can  be  accom 
plished  under  the  supervision,  control,  and  teach- 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

ing  of  the  colored  people,  and  it  stands  conspic 
uous  for  industrial  training,  for  intelligent, 
productive  labor,  for  increased  usefulness  in 
agriculture  and  mechanics,  for  self-respect  and 
self-support,  and  for  the  purification  of  home-life. 
A  late  Circular  of  the  Trustees  of  Hampton 
Institute  makes  the  startling  statement  that  "six 
millions  of  our  Negroes  are  now  living  in  one- 
room  cabins."  Under  such  conditions  morality 
and  progress  are  impossible.  If  the  estimate  be 
approximately  correct,  it  enforces  the  wisdom  of 
Mr.  Washington  in  his  earnest  crusade  against 
"the  one-room  cabin",  and  is  an  honorable  tribute 
to  the  revolution  wrought  through  his  students 
in  the  communities  where  they  have  settled. 
Every  student  at  Tuskegee,  in  the  proportion 
of  the  impression  produced  by  the  Principal, 
becomes  a  better  husband,  a  better  wife,  a  better 
citizen,  a  better  man  or  woman.  A  series  of 
useful  books  on  the  "Great  Educators"  has  been 
published  in  England  and  the  United  States. 
While  Washington  cannot,  in  learning  and  phi 
losophy,  be  ranked  with  Herbart,  Pestalozzi, 
Froebel,  Hopkins,  Wayland,  Harris,  he  may  be 
truly  classed  among  those  who  have  wrought 
grandest  results  on  mind  and  character. 

J.  L.  M.  CURRY. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  Nov.  16,  1899. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

BIRTH  AND  EARLY  CHILDHOOD. 

Author's  Reasons  for  Writing  Autobiography — 
Ancestry — Mother — Author's  Early  Recollections  and 
Impressions  of  Her — Father — Who  He  Was — When 
and  Where  Author  Was  Born — A  Description  of  the 
Cabin  Where  Born — Dress  of  the  Author  in  Early 
Childhood— The  "Tow  Shirt"— Early  Services  of 
Author  at  Holding  Horses  and  Going  to  the  Mill — 
Name  of  Author's  Owner — His  Treatment  of  His 
Slaves — Author  First  Hears  of  the  War  from  the 
Slaves  in  the  "Quarters" — He  Assembles  with  His 
Mother  at  the  "Big  House"  and  Hears  Freedom  to  the 
Slaves  Announced — Removal  of  Author's  Family  to 
West  Virginia — Incidents  of  the  Journey — Of  Whom 
the  Family  Consisted  at  That  Time. 

CHAPTER   II. 

BOYHOOD  IN  WEST  VIRGINIA. 


Life  in  West  Virginia — Author  Sees  a 
Negro  Reading  a  Newspaper  in  Maiden  which  Kindles 
His  First  Ambition — He  Learns  His  Letters  while 
Working  in  Coal  Mines  and  Salt  Furnaces — Attends 
His  First  School — Author  Gives  Himself  a  Surname — 
He  Turns  Forward  the  Hands  of  the  Clock  to  Enable 
Him  to  Get  to  School  on  Time — Author  Learns  of 
Sunday  School  from  an  Old  Man  and  Becomes  a  Reg 
ular  Attendant — Some  Experiences  in  the  Coal  Mines 
— Author  Goes  to  Live  with  the  Family  of  Gen.  Lewis 
Ruffner — He  Runs  Away,  but  Returns — Some  Experi- 

9 


10  CONTENTS. 

ences  as  a  Market  Boy  while  Working  for  Mrs.  Ruff- 
ner — Mrs.  Ruffner,  Author's  Estimate  of  Her — 
Author  Hears  of  the  Hampton  Institute  while  Work 
ing  in  the  Coal  Mines  and  Resolves  to  go  There — Joins 
the  Baptist  Church  in  Maiden  Before  Leaving  for 
Hampton — Still  a  Member  of  This  Church. 

CHAPTER   III. 

LIFE  AT  HAMPTON  INSTITUTE. 

Author  Starts  for  Hampton  in  1872 — The  Journey — 
How  Made — Sleeping  Under  Sidewalk  in  Richmond — 
Unloads  Pig  Iron  from  a  Vessel  in  Richmond  and 
Thereby  Earns  Money  Enough  to  Continue  the  Journey 
to  Hampton — Arrives  at  Hampton — Sees  Miss  Mary  F. 
Mackie,  the  Lady  Principal — Undergoes  a  **  Sweeping 
Examination"  and  is  Admitted  as  a  Student — Author 
Sees  Gen.  Armstrong  for  the  First  Time — First  and 
Last  Impressions  of  Him — Hampton  Institute  when 
Author  First  Entered  It — His  Connection  with  the 
Debating  Societies — His  Destitute  Condition  at  Hamp 
ton — After  Two  Years  at  Hampton,  Author  Spends 
Vacation  at  Home  in  Maiden — Death  of  His  Mother — 
He  is  Graduated  at  Hampton  in  1875 — Some  Helpful 
Friends  at  Hampton,  Misses  Nathalie  Lord  and  Eliz 
abeth  Brewer — Goes  as  a  Waiter  to  Saratoga  Springs. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

HOW   THE    FIRST   SIX   YEARS    AFTER  GRADUATION 
FROM  HAMPTON  WERE  SPENT. 

Author  Begins  Teaching  at  Maiden — Encourages 
His  Pupils  to  go  to  Hampton — Helps  His  Brother  John 
to  Enter  Hampton— Enters  Wayland  Seminary,  Wash 
ington,  D.  C.,  and  Spends  a  Year  There— Stumps  the 
State  of  West  Virginia  in  the  Interest  of  the  Removal 
of  the  State  Capital— Studies  Law  for  a  Short  Time- 
Invited  by  Gen.  Armstrong  to  Deliver  the  Graduate's 
Address — Asked  to  Return  to  Hampton  by  Gen.  Arm 
strong  as  a  Special  Student  and  to  Take  Charge  of 


CONTENTS.  11 

Night  School— Accepts— The  "Plucky  Class"— In 
Charge  of  Indian  Boys  at  Hampton — The  Call  from 
Tuskegee  for  Some  One  to  Start  a  Normal  School — 
Gen.  Armstrong  Recommends  the  Author — Author 
Accepts  and  Proceeds  to  Tuskegee. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  WORK  AT  TUSKEGEE. 

Author's  Difficulty  in  Locating  the  Town  of  Tuske 
gee  Before  Starting  Thither — Description  and  Some 
Early  History  of  Tuskegee  by  Maj.  W.  W.  Screws — 
Author's  Meeting  with  Mr.  Lewis  Adams,  Who  First 
Advanced  the  Idea  of  a  Normal  School  at  Tuskegee — 
How  Mr.  Adams  Secured  the  First  Appropriation 
Through  Hons.  A.  L.  Brooks  and  W.  F.  Foster— The 
Opening  of  the  Normal  School,  July  4,  1881 — The^ 
House  in  which  the  School  Was  Started. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  FIRST  YEAR  AT  TUSKEGEE. 

The  Necessity  for  a  Permanent  Location  for  the 
School  Early  Seen  by  the  Author — Objections  of  the 
Early  Students  to  Manual  Labor — Gen.  Marshall, 
Treasurer  at  Hampton,  Lends  $500  with  which  the 
Present  Site  of  Tuskegee  Was  Purchased— The  Com 
ing  of  Miss  Olivia  A.  Davidson  and  Her  Valuable  Serv 
ice  to  the  School  in  Its  Early  Struggles — The  Struggle 
for  Money — Generosity  of  Both  White  and  Colored 
Citizens  of  Tuskegee  Towards  the  Institute — Miss 
Davidson  Goes  to  Boston  in  the  Interest  of  the  School 
and  Secures  Money  for  the  Erection  of  Porter  Hall — 
More  About  the  Shanty  in  which  the  School  Was 
Started  and  Taught  for  the  First  Year— Author  is 
Married  to  Miss  Fannie  N.  Smith  of  Maiden — Birth  of 
Daughter  Portia,  and  the  Mother's  Early  Death. 


12  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

THE   STRUGGLES   AND   SUCCESS   OF  THE  WORKERS 
AT  TUSKEGEE  FROM  1882  TO  1884. 

The  Putting  the  Farm  in  Order  for  the  Raising  of  a 
Crop — The  Students  Volunteer  to  Assist  in  Clearing 
the  Land— Mr.  Campbell  Gives  the  School  Its  First 
Horse — Old  Buildings  Put  in  Use — First  Service  in 
Porter  Hall,  Sermon  by  Rev.  R.  C.  Bedford — Knowl 
edge  of  the  School  Spreads  and  Brings  Increase  of 
Students — Hardships  and  Discomforts  Undergone  by 
the  Young  Men  During  the  Second  Winter  of  the 
School— The  Rule  that  All  Students  Should  do  Some 
Work  in  Connection  with  Studies — Early  Objections 
of  Parents  and  Students  to  This  Rule — Objections 
Now  Passed  Away — Early  Determination  of  Author 
to  Have  Students  do  All  the  Work  of  Putting  up  Build 
ings  and  Carrying  on  Departments — The  Legislature 
-of  Alabama  Increases  the  Appropriation  to  the  School 
from  $2,000  to  $3,000— The  Work  of  Hon.  W.  F. 
Foster  in  Securing  This  Increase — The  Letter  of  Rev. 
R.  C.  Bedford  to  Gen.  Armstrong  in  Regard  to  the 
Increase  of  Appropriation  and  the  Work  of  Tuskegee 
— Gen.  J.  F.  B.  Marshall,  Treasurer  of  Hampton  Insti 
tute,  Visits  Tuskegee  and  Writes  a  Letter  to  the 
'* Southern  Workman"  in  Regard  to  the  Work  There — 
The  Celebration  of  the  Second  Anniversary  of  Tuske 
gee — The  Building  of  Cottages  at  Tuskegee — The 
Coming  of  Mr.  Warren  Logan  to  the  School  and  His 
Valuable  Services  Ever  Since — Mr.  J.  H.  Washington 
Accepts  a  Position  in  the  School — His  Efficient  Serv 
ices  as  Superintendent  of  Industries — The  Finance 
Committee,  the  Principal's  Cabinet — The  Trustees  of 
the  Slater  Fund  Through  Rev.  R.  C.  Bedford,  Donate 
$1,1  oo  to  the  School— Slater  Fund  Annual  Appropri 
ation  Now  Increased  to  $11,000 — Gen.  Armstrong 
Invites  Author  to  Accompany  Him  and  Speak  in  the 
Interest  of  Tuskegee  at  a  Series  of  Meetings  which 
He  (Gen.  Armstrong)  Proposed  to  Hold  in  Phila 
delphia,  New  York,  Boston  and  Other  Cities — Author 
Accepts  and  Meetings  Result  Largely  in  Favor  of 


CONTENTS.  13 

Tuskegee — Miss  Mary  F.  Mackie,  Lady  Principal  at 
Hampton,  Visits  Tuskegee  and  Writes  an  Encourag 
ing  Letter  to  a  Friend — Commencement  at  Tuskegee 
in  May,  1884 — Author  Invited  to  Address  National 
Educational  Association  at  Madison,  Wisconsin — 
Author's  First  Opportunity  of  Presenting  the  Work  at 
Tuskegee  to  Such  a  Large  Audience  of  National  Char 
acter — Extracts  from  the  Address — Good  Impression 
Made  by  This  Address  Brings  Many  Invitations  to 
Speak. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  TUSKEGEE  FROM  1884  TO  1894. 

Growth  in  Number  of  Students,  Teachers  and 
Officers,  and  Buildings  during  the  Early  Years  of  This 
Period — Hard  Work  of  Raising  Money  with  which  to 
Meet  the  Increasing  Demands — Some  Providential 
Ways  Whereby  the  School  Was  Helped  Out  of  Tight 
Places  Financially — Financial  Assistance  Rendered 
the  School  by  the  Citizens  and  Banks  of  Tuskegee — 
First  Donation  from  the  Peabody  Fund — Dr.  Curry 
Reasons  That  the  School  That  Makes  Extra  Effort  to 
Secure  Funds  is  the  School  to  be  Helped — Some  Sta 
tistics  in  Regard  to  the  Money  Raised  for  Tuskegee 
during  This  Period — Our  Financial  Embarrassment 
during  the  Fourth  Year — Gen.  Armstrong  Comes  to 
Our  Relief  by  Lending  Us  Nearly  all  the  Money  He 
Possessed — Author's  Fourth  Annual  Report,  Extracts 
— Generosity  of  Gen.  J.  F.  B.  Marshall  Enables  Tus 
kegee  to  Start  a  Sawmill — The  Opening  of  the  Night 
School — The  Advantages  it  Affords  Needy  Students — 
Full  Description  of  the  Seventh  Commencement  or 
Anniversary  of  the  School  Indicating  its  Growth  to 
that  Time — Tuskegee 's  Daily  Program  in  Force  in 
1886— The  Death  of  Mrs.  Olivia  Davidson  Washing 
ton — An  Estimate  of  Her  Character  and  Worth  to 
Tuskegee  by  Rev.  R.  C.  Bedford— Further  Growth  of 
the  School  in  Number  of  Students — The  Visit  of  the 
Hon.  Frederick  Douglass  to  Tuskegee — His  Views  in 
Regard  to  Industrial  Education  and  Other  Matters 


14  CONTENTS. 

Affecting  the  Negro  Race— His  Letter  to  Mrs.  Harriett 
Beecher  Stowe  in  1853,  Pleading  for  an  Industrial 
College  for  Negroes— Author's  Marriage  to  Miss 
Maggie  James  Murray — Her  Interest  in  and  Labors 
Towards  the  Advancement  of  the  Work  at  Tuskegee. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

INVITED    TO     DELIVER     LECTURE    AT     FISK     UNI- 
VERSITY. 

Author  Invited  to  Deliver  Lecture  at  Fisk  Univers 
ity  Under  Auspices  of  the  Fisk  Lecture  Bureau — Full 
Description  of  the  Occasion,  an  Excellent  Synopsis  of 
Lecture  Published  in  Nashville  Daily  Papers — Lecture 
Caused  Much  Newspaper  Comment — Account  of  the 
Lecture  by  the  Nashville  Daily  American — Memphis 
Commercial  Appeal,  in  an  Editorial,  Uses  the  Pub 
lished  Accounts  of  This  Lecture  as  a  Basis  for  an  Argu 
ment  for  More  Industrial  Training  for  the  White  Race 
—The  Editorial. 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE    SPEECH    AT   THE   OPENING   OF   THE    COTTON 
STATES'  EXPOSITION,  AND  INCIDENTS  CON 
NECTED  THEREWITH. 

Invitation  to  Accompany  a  Committee  of  Atlanta 
Gentlemen  to  Washington  to  Intercede  for  a  Con 
gressional  Appropriation  for  the  Cotton  States'  Exposi 
tion — The  Author  Among  Others  Speaks  before  the 
Committee  on  Appropriations — Arguments  Set  Forth 
by  Him  in  Favor  of  an  Appropriation — Appropriation 
Granted— The  Negro  Building  at  the  Atlanta  or  Cot 
ton  States'  Exposition  and  the  Success  of  the  Negro 
Exhibit  under  Chief  Commissioner,  I.  Garland  Penn — 
The  Exhibit  of  the  Tuskegee  Institute— Author  Invited 
by  the  Board  of  Directors  to  Deliver  an  Address  at  the 
Public  Exercises  on  the  Opening  Day — He  Feels  the 
Weight  of  this  Responsibility — An  Account  of  the 
Author's  Feelings  as  the  Time  Drew  Near  for  the 


CONTENTS.  15 

Opening  of  the  Exposition — He  Leaves  Tuskegee  for 
Atlanta,  Accompanied  by  Mrs.  Washington  and  His 
Daughter  Portia  and  the  Two  Boys,  Baker  and  David 
son — Incidents  of  the  Day  before  the  Time  for  the 
Opening  Exercises  at  the  Exposition — At  the  Exercises 
Author  is  Introduced  to  the  Audience  by  Ex- Governor 
Bullock,  Who  Presided  on  that  Occasion — Author's 
Speech  in  Full — Author  Invited  by  D.  C.  Oilman  of 
Johns  Hopkins  University  to  be  one  of  the  Judges  of 
Awards  in  the  Department  of  Education  in  Atlanta — 
An  Account  of  the  Reception  of  His  Speech  Written 
by  James  Creelman,  Correspondent  to  the  New  York 
World— Hon.  Clark  Howell,  Editor  of  the  Atlanta 
Constitution,  Writes  Concerning  the  Speech  to  the 
New  York  World— Some  Samples  of  What  the  Press 
of  the  Country  Had  to  Say  in  Regard  to  this  Speech — 
His  Letter  in  Full — In  a  Few  Hours  After  the  Speech 
Author  Begins  Receiving  Messages  of  Congratulation 
— He  Returns  to  Tuskegee  the  Next  Day,  at  Every 
Station  on  the  Route  Meeting  Crowds  of  People  Anxi 
ous  to  Shake  Hands  with  Him — Hon.  Grover  Cleve 
land,  then  President  of  the  United  States,  Writes 
Author  a  Letter  in  Regard  to  the  Atlanta  Speech — 
Author  Receives  Many  Flattering  Offers  from  Lec 
ture  Bureaus  to  Deliver  Lectures  but  Refuses  Them  All 
—He  Continues  His  Labors  in  Behalf  of  Tuskegee. 

CHAPTER  XL 

AN  APPEAL  FOR  JUSTICE. 

Author  Writes  an  Open  Letter  to  Senator  Tillman 
during  the  Meeting  of  a  Constitutional  Convention  in 
South  Carolina — He  Sets  Forth  the  Negro's  Claim 
upon  the  Whites  for  Justice  and  Fair  Play — He  Urges 
the  Whites  to  Help  and  Not  to  Hinder  the  Progress  of 
the  Negroes — He  Pleads  for  Negro  Education — The 
Letter  in  Full — Is  Asked  by  an  Atlanta  Paper  to 
Write  a  Letter  on  the  Benefits  of  the  Atlanta  Exposi 
tion  of  1895 — Complies  in  an  Interesting  Letter  which 
Outlines  the  Benefits  of  the  Exposition  Alike  to 


16  CONTENTS. 

Negroes,  Southern  Whites,  and  to  the  Country  Gener 
ally — This  Letter  in  Full — Author  Continues  His 
Campaign  of  Speech  Making  in  the  North  during  the 
Winter  of  1895-6 — Speaks  at  Carnegie  Hall,  New 
York,  Appearing  with  Dr.  T.  DeWitt  Talmage  and 
Others,  President  Grover  Cleveland  Presiding — Some 
Extracts  from  the  Speech  Delivered  on  this  Occasion 
— Returning  to  Tuskegee  to  be  Present  at  the  Annual 
Meeting  of  the  Tuskegee  Negro  Farmer's  Conference 
—In  March,  1896,  Speaks  Before  the  Bethel  Literary 
Society  of  Washington,  D.  C. — Answers  Some  Criti 
cisms  by  Colored  Newspapers  of  His  Atlanta  Speech. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

HONORED  BY  HARVARD  UNIVERSITY. 

Tuskegee  Institute,  in  Connection  with  Hampton, 
Makes  an  Industrial  Exhibit  in  New  York,  Boston 
and  Philadelphia — Academic  Work  at  Tuskegee,  Its 
Thoroughness — The  Great  Surprise  of  the  Author's 
Life — An  Account  of  Commencement  at  Harvard  in 
June,  1896 — The  Degree  of  Master  of  Arts  Conferred 
Upon  Author — Takes  Lunch  with  President  Eliot 
Along  with  Gen.  Miles,  Dr.  Savage  and  Others 
Receiving  Honorary  Degrees — Speaks  at  the  Alumni 
Dinner — A  Notable  Address — The  Address  in  Full— 
Thos.  J.  Galloway's  Letter  to  the  Colored  American 
Concerning  this  Event — Some  Newspaper  Comments 
— Speaks  to  a  Large  Audience  at  the  Meeting  of  the 
National  Christian  Endeavor  Convention,  Washington, 
D.  C. — The  Following  Evening  Addresses  the  National 
Educational  Association  at  Buffalo,  New  York,  Where 
20,000  Teachers  Were  Present — Some  Newspaper 
Accounts  of  this  Address— Visits  North  Carolina  in 
October,  1896,  and  Speaks  to  the  Colored  People  at  a 
Fair  in  Durham— While  in  Durham  Invited  to  Address 
Students  of  Trinity  College,  White— Warmly  Received 
and  Heartily  Cheered  by  Students. 


CONTENTS.  17 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

URGED  FOR  A  CABINET  POSITION. 

The  Washington  Post  and  Other  Papers  Urge  the 
Appointment  of  the  Author  in  the  Cabinet  of  President 
McKinley— Some  Extracts  From  Articles  Urging  Such 
Appointment — In  the  Midst  of  this  Discussion  Author 
Declares  He  Would  Not  Accept  a  Political  Position 
That  Would  Compel  Him  to  Turn  Aside  From  the 
Work  at  Tuskegee — He  Speaks  in  Washington  in 
March,  1897 — He  Urges  Negroes  to  Cease  Depending 
Too  Much  on  Office  Getting,  and  Give  More  Attention 
to  Industrial  and  Business  Enterprises — Certain  Crit 
icism*  of  Author  Answered. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  SHAW  MONUMENT  SPEECH,  THE  VISIT  OF  SEC 
RETARY  JAMES  WILSON,  AND  THE  LETTER 
TO  THE  LOUISIANA  CONVENTION. 

Author  Invited  to  Make  an  Address  at  the  Dedica 
tion  in  Boston  of  a  Monument  to  Col.  Robert  Gould 
Shaw  and  Regiment — He  Accepts  and  Delivered  the 
Address — The  Speech  in  Full — Impressions  of  this 
Speech  as  Told  by  the  Boston  Transcript  and  Other 
Papers — The  Thrilling  Incident  of  Sergeant  Carney, 
the  Color-Bearer  for  the  Old  Fifty- Fourth  Massachu 
setts  During  the  Dedicatory  Exercises — The  Visit  of 
Secretary  of  Agriculture,  Hon.  James  Wilson,  and 
Other  Prominent  Statesmen  and  Educators  at  the  Ded 
ication  of  the  Agricultural  Building — Something  of  the 
Agricultural  Department  at  Tuskegee — An  Open  Let 
ter  to  the  Louisiana  State  Constitutional  Convention 
— In  this  Letter  Author  Pleads  that  More  of  a  Chris 
tian  Spirit  Should  Animate  the  Races  in  their  Dealings 
with  each  Other — That  Negroes  be  not  Treated  as 
Aliens— That  if  Ballot  Restrictions  be  Necessary,  any 
Law  Passed  on  the  Subject  Ought  to  Apply  Alike  to 
Whites  and  Blacks — That  in  the  Same  Degree  the 
Ballot  Box  is  Closed  to  the  Negro,  the  Public  Schools 


18  CONTENTS. 

be  Opened  to  Him— The  Letter  in  Full— Author's 
Position  Endorsed  by  the  Leading  Democratic  Papers 
in  New  Orleans — Author  Delivers  an  Address  Before 
the  Regents  of  the  University  of  New  York  in  June, 
1898. 

CHAPTER  XV. 

CUBAN    EDUCATION    AND    THE   CHICAGO    PEACE 
JUBILEE   ADDRESS. 

The  Movement  at  Tuskegee  for  the  Education  of 
Cubans  and  Porto  Ricans — The  Trustees  of  the  John 
F.  Slater  Fund  Enables  Author  and  Mrs.  Washington 
to  Lecture  in  the  Cities  of  the  South — These  Lejctures 
were  Plain  Talks  to  the  Colored  People  about  the 
Financial,  Physical,  Mental  and  Moral  Needs — The 
Peace  Celebrations  in  the  United  States  after  the  Span 
ish-American  War — The  Author  Invited  to  Speak  at 
the  Chicago  Peace  Jubilee — Accepts  and  Speaks 
October  16,  1898 — Many  Prominent  People  Present, 
Including  President  McKinley,  Cabinet  Officers, 
Heroes  of  the  Late  War,  and  Others — Names  of  Other 
Speakers — Author's  Speech  in  Full  on  this  Occasion — 
What  the  Chicago  Times- Herald  had  to  say  in  Regard 
to  this  Speech — President  McKinley  Listened  to  this 
Speech  and  Bowed  His  Appreciation — Some  Criticisms 
in  the  South  of  Portions  of  this  Speech — Criticisms 
Replied  to  by  Author  in  a  Letter  to  the  Birmingham 
(Ala.)  Age-Herald — Author's  Policy  in  Speech  Making 
— The  Need  of  Greater  Charity  of  the  Races  Towards 
Each  Other, 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  VISIT  OF    PRESIDENT   WILLIAM   McKINLEY    TO 
TUSKEGEE. 

Author's  Early  Desire  to  Have  the  President  of  the 
United  States  Visit  Tuskegee— After  Years  of  Work 
and  Struggle,  Author  is  More  than  ever  Determined  to 
Secure  a  Visit  from  the  President — President  McKin- 


CONTENTS.  19 

ley's  Coming  to  Atlanta  Gives  Author  Opportunity  to 
Invite  Him  to  Tuskegee — For  this  Purpose  Author  goes 
to  Washington  and  Sees  the  President — He  Goes  a 
Second  Time  to  Washington  Accompanied  by  Mr. 
Chas.  W.  Hare  of  Tuskegee— Dr.  J.  L.  M.  Curry, 
Without  Author's  Knowledge  Urges  the  President  to 
Visit  Tuskegee  Institute — During  His  Second  Visit  to 
Washington  Author  Secures  a  Definite  Promise  from 
the  .President  to  Visit  Tuskegee — President  McKinley 
in  Conversation  with  Author  Exhibits  Great  Interest 
in  the  Welfare  of  the  Negro — Other  Prominent  Men 
with  the  President's  Party — Great  Crowds  at  Tuskegee 
on  the  Day  of  the  President's  Visit — How  the  Day  was 
Spent — The  Parade — Exercises  and  Speech-making  in 
the  Chapel — The  President's  Address — Extracts  from 
Address  of  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  John  D.  Long — 
Postmaster-General  Smith's  Closing  Remarks — White 
and  Colored  Citizens  of  Tuskegee  Show  Great  Interest 
in  the  President's  Visit — They  Assist  Materially  in 
Giving  the  President  a  Becoming  Reception — The 
President's  Opinion  of  the  Visit  Told  in  His  Letter  to 
Author— The  Letter  in  Full. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  TUSKEGEE  NEGRO  CONFERENCE. 

How  the  Conference  Movement  was  Started — The 
First  Invitations  that  were  Sent  Out — The  Financial 
Condition  of  the  Negroes  in  the  Black  Belt — The  Mort 
gage  System — The  Large  Number  that  Came  to  the 
First  Conference  a  Surprise  to  Author — Author  States 
in  His  Opening  Address  His  Plans  of  Conducting  the 
Conference — The  Method  of  Ascertaining  the  Condi 
tion  of  the  People  in  the  Various  Communities — 
Things  Discussed — Others  Present  Besides  Negro 
Farmers  of  the  Black  Belt — Newspaper  Representa 
tives  Present — The  Declarations  of  the  First  Confer 
ence — The  Number  of  Conferences  Already  Held — The 
Attendance  at  the  Conferences — Similar  Conferences 
in  Other  States — Local  Conferences — The  Spirit  of  the 


20  CONTENTS. 

Earlier  Conferences  as  Compared  with  the  Later  Ones 
— What  These  Conferences  have  Taught  the  People- 
Some  Extracts  from  Talks  or  Reports  at  the  Confer 
ences  Made  by  Black  Belt  Negroes — The  Workers' 
Conference — Of  Whom  Composed — The  Subjects  Dis 
cussed  in  Workers'  Conferences. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A  VACATION  IN  EUROPE. 

Author  Appears  with  Dr.  W.  E.  B.  DuBois  and  Paul 
Laurence  D unbar  Before  a  Representative  Audience  at 
Hollis  St.  Theatre,  Boston — He  Speaks  Before  the  Birm 
ingham  Lyceum,  Birmingham,  Ala. — Kind  Friends  in 
Boston  Arrange  to  Have  Author  and  Mrs.  Washington 
Spend  a  Vacation  in  Europe — They  Sail  for  Europe  in 
May,  Landing  at  Antwerp — Visit  the  Rural  Districts 
in  Belgium  and  Holland  and  Look  Into  the  Dairy  Sys 
tems — From  Holland  Back  to  Antwerp  and  thence  to 
Brussels — From  Brussels  to  Paris,  Remaining  there 
Six  Weeks — The  Stay  in  Paris — Attentions  from  the 
American  Ambassador — Author  Addressed  the  Uni 
versity  Club — The  Stay  in  Paris  a  Restful  One — From 
Paris  to  London — The  Stay  in  England  Full  of  Social 
Functions — Author  Speaks  at  Essex  Hall  on  the  Race 
Problem — The  American  Ambassador,  Hon.  Joseph 
H.  Choate,  Presides,  and  Hon.  James  Bryce  also 
Speaks — Reception  to  Author  and  Wife  in  Connection 
with  this  Meeting  by  Rev.  Brooke  Hereford  and  Wife 
- — Other  Receptions — Editorial  in  the  London  Daily 
Chronicle  in  Regard  to  Author  and  His  Work — The 
Most  Restful  and  Interesting  Part  of  the  Vacation  in 
England — Several  Cities  in  England  Visited — Author 
Writes  Letters  to  the  American  Press,  and  Makes  a 
Study  of  Africa  While  in  London — In  Letter  Written 
While  in  London  he  Argues  Against  American  Negroes 
Emigrating  to  Africa — Some  Reasons  for  His  Position 
— A  Letter  to  the  American  Press  on  Lynching — A 
Strong  Appeal  Against  this  Evil — Facts  and  Figures 
Presented  Showing  that  Lynching  Does  Not  Lessen 
Crime,  and  is  Not  Inflicted  for  Any  One  Crime. 


CONTENTS.  21 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE    WEST    VIRGINIA    AND     OTHER     RECEPTIONS 
AFTER  EUROPEAN  TRIP. 

The  Return  from  Europe — A  Communication  from 
W.  Herman  Smith,  Mayor  of  Charleston,  West  Virginia 
— An  Invitation  to  Visit  Charleston,  Signed  by  the 
Governor,  ex-Governor,  and  Many  of  the  Most  Promi 
nent  Citizens — The  Invitation  Accepted — The  Recep 
tion  at  Charleston — Receptions  to  Author  by  the  Citi 
zens  of  Atlanta,  Montgomery  and  New  Orleans — The 
Industrial  Convention  at  Huntsville,  Ala. — Author 
Invited  to  Address  that  Convention — His  Address  on 
that  Occasion — The  Address  of  ex-Governor  MacCorkle 
— The  Influence  of  that  Address  and  of  the  Huntsville 
Convention — The  Movement  for  an  Annual  Conference 
in  Montgomery  to  Afford  Opportunities  for  Generous 
and  Liberal  Discussions  of  the  Race  Question — Its  Fit 
ness  Discussed. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  MOVEMENT  FOR  A  PERMANENT  ENDOWMENT. 

How  the  Money  for  Carrying  on  the  Work  at  Tuske- 
gee  Was  Being  Raised  during  Eighteen  Years — The 
Need  of  an  Endowment  Fund — The  Grant  of  25,000 
Acres  of  Land  by  Congress — The  Organized  Effort  to 
Secure  Endowment  Fund — The  Meeting  for  this  Pur 
pose  in  Madison  Square  Garden — Ex- President  Grover 
Cleveland  Interested  in  the  Movement — Prominent 
People  Present  at  This  Meeting — President  Cleveland's 
Encouraging  Letter  Stating  His  Inability  to  be  Pres 
ent — Hon.  Carl  Schurz  Presides  at  This  Meeting — 
Address  of  Mr.  Walter  H.  Page— Mr.  W.  H.  Baldwin, 
Jr.,  Speaks — Extracts  from  This  Address — The  Finan 
cial  Condition  of  the  Institute  Stated — The  Author 
Speaks  at  This  Meeting — Dr.  Rainsford's  Remarks  — 
Some  Immediate  Results  of  This  Meeting — The  Gift  of 
Mr.  C.  O.  Huntington  and  Others  Towards  the  Endow 
ment 


22  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

LOOKING  BACKWARD. 

The  Nature  of  the  Author's  Work  at  Tuskegee — The 
Discouragements  Met  with  in  the  Early  Years — Auth 
or's  First  Experience  at  Speaking  to  Northern  Audi 
ences — General  Armstrong's  Advice  and  Helpfulness 
— His  Interest  in  the  Work  at  Tuskegee — His  Last 
Visit  to  Tuskegee — His  Reception  by  Teachers  and 
Students — Author's  First  Public  Address  in  the  North 
— Author's  Campaign  of  Speech-making  in  the  South 
to  His  Own  People — His  First  Opportunity  to  Speak 
to  a  Large  Audience  of  White  People  in  the  South — 
Some  Incidents  and  the  Results  of  this  Speech  as  Told 
by  the  Christian  World — Author's  Rule  About  Engage 
ments  of  a  Public  Nature — The  Difficulty  in  the  Early 
Years  in  Getting  Interviews  with  Prominent  People — 
The  Difficulty  to  Secure  Opportunities  to  Speak  in 
Churches  in  the  Beginning — Some  Reasons  Why  This 
Was  So — The  First  Legacy  Received  by  the  School — 
Later  Legacies — Some  of  Author's  Experiences  with 
Benefactors — Some  Interesting  and  Lucky  Experi 
ences  of  Author  While  Collecting  Money — An  Article 
in  the  "Outlook"  on  the  Ministry — Criticism  and  Cen 
sure — Bishop  D.  A.  Payne  Corroborates  Author's  Posi 
tion — Credit  Given  T.  Thomas  Fortune  and  E.  J. 
Scott,  Author's  Private  Secretary — The  Financial 
Policy  of  Tuskegee  at  Present  Contrasted  with  That  of 
the  Early  Years — The  System  of  Book-keeping  at  Tus 
kegee — $1,000,000  Raised — How  to  Succeed  in  Any 
Undertaking— The  Kind  of  People  the  World  Needs- 
Hard  Work  the  Author's  Synonym  of  "Luck"  and  the 
Price  of  All  Success. 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

A  DESCRIPTION   OF  THE  WORK  OF  THE  TUSKEGEE 
INSTITUTE. 

The  Building  Up  of  the  Institute,  the  Author's  Life 
Work — A  History  of  the  Institute  Unavoidable  in  His 


CONTENTS.  23 

Autobiography — The  Land  Owned  by  the  Institute — 
The  Buildings — The  Brickyard— The  Present  Valua 
tion  of  the  Property — The  Agricultural  Department 
of  the  Institute — Its  Director — The  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station — Some  of  Prof.  Carver's  Experi 
ments — The  Home  Farm — The  Marshall  Farm — The 
Mechanical  Department — A  Description  of  the  Slater- 
Armstrong  Memorial  Trades  Building — The  Trades 
Taught — The  Department  of  Domestic  Sciences,  Mrs. 
Booker  T.  Washington  Directress — What  the  Depart 
ment  Embraces — The  Nurse  Training  Division — Facil 
ities  for  Instruction  in  Connection  with  the  School's 
Hospital — The  Course  of  Study,  what  it  Embraces — 
The  Division  of  Music — The  Course  in  Piano  Forte — 
Vocal  Music — Musical  Organizations  at  the  Institute 
—The  Band  and  Orchestra— The  Bible  Training 
Department — Phelps  Hall — Objects  of  This  Depart 
ment — The  Academic  Department — The  Course  of 
Study — Students  in  This  Department — The  Day  School 
—The  Night  School— The  Chapel  of  the  Institute— A 
Description  of  It. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Booker  T.  Washington  and  Family Frontispiece 

Hon.  Frederick  Douglass 3 

Dr.  J.  L.  M   Curry 4 

Mr.  Washington  and  Two  of  his  Distinguished  Friends  and 

Supporters — Pres.  William  McKinley,  Gov.  J.  F.  Johnston,  27 
The  House  in  Virginia  where  Booker  T.  Washington  was  born,  28 
Little  Booker  and  his  Mother  Praying  to  be  Delivered  from 

Slavery.  (Original  Illustration . ) 31 

Little  Booker  a  Favorite  with  his  Master — Is  Allowed  to  Peep 

into  the  Parlor  of  the  Big  House 33 

The  House  in  which  Booker  T.  Washington's  Family  Lived  in 

West  Virginia,  at  the  Time  he  Left  for  Hampton  Institute.  41 
The  Cabin  in  Old  Virginia  where  Booker  T.  Washington 

Lived  when  a  Boy 42 

"This  fired  my  ambition  to  learn  to  read  as  nothing  had  done 

before."  (Original  Illustration.) 44 

"Reading  of  the  Emancipation  Proclamation."  (Original 

Illustration.) 46 

"Booker  Starting  for  Hampton  Institute."  (Original  Illustra 
tion.  ) 56 

Booker  T.  Washington  Rehearsing  his  Graduating  Oration 

at  Hampton.  (Original  Illustration.) 60 

Teachers  at  Tuskegee  Institute — Warren  Logan,  Lewis 

Adams,  and  John  H.  Washington 65 

A  Brilliant  Trio  of  Colored  Americans— E.  J.  Scott,  Edgar 

Webber,  T.  Thomas  Fortune 66 

A  Group  of  Mr.  Washington's  Warm  Friends  and  Supporters 

—Rev.    R.   C.   Bedford,  Ex-Pres.    Grover  Cleveland,  Gov. 

G.  W.  Atkinson 83 

24 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS.  25 

PAGE. 

Distinguished  Americans  who  have  Introduced  Mr.  Washing 
ton  on  Public  Occasions — Ex-Governor  Bullock,  Hon.  Joseph 
A.  Choate,  William  Harper,  Pres.  of  Chicago  University. . .  84 

Olivia  Davidson  Hall  at  Tuskegee  Institute 91 

Cassidy  Industrial  Hall— Erected  by  Students,  Tuskegee  Nor 
mal  and  Industrial  Institute 92 

Booker  T.  Washington's  Residence,  Tuskegee,  Ala 113 

Faculty  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute — Eighty- 
eight  Teachers 114 

Bird's-eye  View  of  the  Grounds  of  the  Tuskegee  Normal  and 
Industrial  Institute 117 

Printing-press  Room — They  do  Their  Own  Printing  at  Tuske 
gee  Institute 201 

Paint  Shop — Students  at  Work ^ 202 

President  Eliot  Conferring  Honorary  Degree  upon  Mr.  Wash 
ington  at  Harvard  University,  June  24,  1896.  (Original 
Illustration. ) 206 

Senior  Class  in  Psychology,  Tuskegee  Institute. .'. 219 

Brickmaking  at  the  Tuskegee  Brickyard 220 

A  Corner  in  a  Millinery  Room,  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Indus 
trial  Institute 225 

Girls  at  Tuskegee  Learning  Dairying 226 

Industrial  Students  in  Tin  Shop,  Tuskegee  Institute 255 

Girls  at  Tuskegee  Engaged  in  Floriculture 256 

Mr.  Washington  Making  a  Speech  at  the  Chicago  Peace  Jubi 
lee,  October  19,  1898.  (Original  Illustration. ) 262 

Laundry  Building  at  Tuskegee  Institute 273 

Porter  Hall — First  Building  Erected  of  Tuskegee  Institute. .  .274 
Bird's-eye  View  of  the  Grounds  and  Review  Stand  at  Tuske 
gee,   December   16,    1898,    when   President  McKinley  and 

Party  Visited  the  Institute 279 

Waiting  for  the  Procession  to  Pass  at  the  Time  of  President 

McKinley's  Visit  to  Tuskegee 280 

Shoe  Shop,  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute 285 

Cooking  at  Tuskegee  Institute 286 


26  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE. 

Young  Women  at  Work  in  the  Sewing  Room,  Tuskegee  Insti 
tute 287 

Girls  at  Tuskegee  Engaged  in  Horticulture 288 

Mathematical  Float,  December  16,  1898,  at  Tuskegee  Normal 

and  Industrial  Institute 297 

Student  Carpenters  at  Work  on  the  Trade's  Building 298 

Agricultural    Building  at  Tuskegee  Normal  and   Industrial 

Institute 307 

Blacksmith  Shop— Built  by  Students 308 

Dressmaking  at  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute. .  .309 

Bee  Culture  at  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute 310 

Tuskegee  Negro  Conference,  February  22,  1899 — Negro  Farm 
ers  Coming  Out  of  the  Dining  Hall 319 

Tailoring  Division,  Tuskegee  Institute 320 

Reception  Given  Booker  T.  Washington  after  his  return  from 

Europe,  by  Gov.  G.  W.  Atkinson  at  Charleston,  W.  Va 346 

President  McKinley  and  Party  Watching  the  Parade 385 

Science  Hall — Erected  by  Students  at  Tuskegee  Normal  and 

Industrial  Institute 386 

A  View  of  the  Machine  Shop — Students  at  Work 403 

Harness  Making  and  Carriage  Dressing  at  Tuskegee  Institute.  404 

The  New  Chapel— Built  by  Students 413 

Alabama  Hall,  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute 414 

Float — Representing  Tinning  Department,  Passed  in  Parade 
on  the  Occasion  of  President  McKinley's  Visit  to  the  Tuske 
gee  Institute 415 

Bird's-eye  View  of  Some  of  the  Floats  at  the  Tuskegee  Insti 
tute,  December  16,  1898 416 


MR.  WASHINGTON  AND  TWO  OF  HIS  DISTINGUISHED  FRIENDS 
'    AND  SUPPORTERS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

BIRTH  AND  EARLY  CHILDHOOD. 

Many  requests  have  been  made  of  me  to  write 
something  of  the  story  of  my  life.  Until  re 
cently  I  have  never  given  much  consideration  to 
these  requests,  for  the  reason  that  I  have  never 
thought  that  I  had  done  enough  in  the  world  to 
warrant  anything  in  the  way  of  an  autobiography; 
and  I  hope  that  my  life  work,  by  reason  of  my 
present  age,  lies  more  in  the  future  than  in  the 
past.  My  daughter,  Portia,  said  to  me,  not 
long  ago:  "Papa,  do  you  know  that  you 
have  never  told  me  much  about  your  early 
life,  and  your  children  want  to  know  more  about 
you."  Then  it  came  upon  me  as  never  before 
that  I  ought  to  put  something  about  my  life  in 
writing  for  the  sake  of  my  family,  if  for  no  other 
reason . 

I  will  not  trouble  those  who  read  these  lines 
with  any  lengthy  historical  research  concerning 
my  ancestry,  for  I  know  nothing  of  my  ancestry 
beyond  my  mother.  My  mother  was  a  slave  on 
a  plantation  near  Hale's  Ford,  in  Franklin  County, 

I  am  indebted  to  and  beg  to  thank  Mr.  E.  Webber  for  valuable 
assistance  rendered  in  connection  with  the  preparation  of  this 
publication.  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON. 


30  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

Virginia,  and  she  was,  as  I  now  remember  it,  the 
cook  for  her  owners  as  well  as  for  a  large  part  of 
the  slaves  on  the  plantation.  The  first  time  that 
I  got  a  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  my  mother  and 
I  were  slaves,  was  by  being  awakened  by  my 
mother  early  one  morning,  while  I  was  sleeping 
in  a.bed  of  rags,  on  a  clay  floor  of  our  little  cabin. 
She  was  kneeling  over  me,  fervently  praying  as 
was  her  custom  to  do,  that  some  day  she  and 
her  children  might  be  free.  The  name  of  my 
mother  was  Jane.  She,  to  me,  will  always  re 
main  the  noblest  embodiment  of  womanhood  with 
whom  I  have  come  in  contact.  She  was  wholly 
ignorant,  as  far  as  books  were  concerned,  and,  I 
presume,  never  had  a  book  in  her  hands  for  two 
minutes  at  a  time.  But  the  lessons  in  virtue  and 
thrift  which  she  instilled  into  me  during  the 
short  period  of  my  life  that  she  lived  will  never 
leave  me.  Some  people  blame  the  Negro  for  not 
being  more  honest,  as  judged  by  the  Anglo- 
Saxon's  standard  of  honesty;  but  I  can  recall 
many  times  when,  after  all  was  dark  and  still,  in 
the  late  hours  of  the  night,  when  her  children  had 
been  without  sufficient  food  during  the  day,  my 
mother  would  awaken  us,  and  we  would  find  that 
she  had  gotten  from  somewhere  something  in  the 
way  of  eggs  or  chickens  and  had  cooked  them 
during  the  night  for  us.  These  eggs  and  chickens 
were  gotten  without  my  master's  permission  or 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  31 


LITTLE    BOOKER  AND    HIS    MOTHER    PRAYING  TO   BE    DELIV- 
3  ERED  FROM  SLAVERY. 


32  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

knowledge.  Perhaps,  by  some  code  of  ethics, 
this  would  be  classed  as  stealing,  but  deep  down 
in  my  heart  I  can  never  decide  that  my  mother, 
under  such  circumstances,  was  guilty  of  theft. 
Had  she  acted  thus  as  a  free  woman  she  would 
have  been  a  thief,  but  not  so,  in  my  opinion,  as  a 
slave.  After  our  freedom  no  one  was  stricter 
than  my  mother  in  teaching  and  observing  the 
highest  rules  of  integrity. 

Who  my  father  was,  or  is,  I  have  never  been 
able  to  learn  with  any  degree  of  certainty. 
I  only  know  that  he  was  a  white  man. 

As  nearly  as  I  can  get  at  the  facts,  I  was  born 
in  the  year  1858  or  1859.  At  the  time  I  came  into 
the  world  no  careful  registry  of  births  of  people  of 
my  complexion  was  kept.  My  birth  place  was  near 
Hale's  Ford,  in  Franklin  County,  Virginia. 
It  was  about  as  near  to  Nowhere  as  any  locality 
gets  to  be,  so  far  as  I  can  learnt  Hale's  Ford, 
I  think,  was  a  town  with  one  house  and  a  post- 
office,  and  my  birth  place  was  on  a  large  planta 
tion  several  miles  distant  from  it. 

I  remember  very  distinctly  the  appearance  of 
the  cabin  in  which  I  was  born  and  lived  until 
freedom  came.  It  was  a  small  log  cabin  about 
1 2x1 6  feet,  and  without  windows.  There  was  no 
floor,  except  a  dirt  one.  There  was  a  large 
opening  in  the  center  of  the  floor,  where  sweet 
potatoes  were  kept  for  my  master's  family  dur- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON. 


LITTLE  BOOKER,  A  FAVORITE  WITH  HIS  MASTER,  IS  ALLOWED 
TO  PEEP  INTO  THE  PARLOR  OF  THE  "BIGH  HOUSE." 


34  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

ing  the  winter.  In  this  cabin  my  mother  did  the 
cooking,  the  greater  part  of  the  time,  for  my 
master's  family.  Our  bed,  or  "pallet,"  as  we 
called  it,  was  made  every  night  on  the  dirt  floor. 
Our  bed  clothing  consisted  of  a  few  rags  gathered 
here  and  there. 

One  thing  I  remember  more  vividly  than  any 
other  in  connection  with  the  days  when  I  was  a 
slave  was  my  dress,  or,  rather,  my  lack  of  dress. 

The  years  that  the  war*  was  in  progress  be 
tween  the  States  were  especially  trying  to  the 
slaves,  so  far  as  clothing  was  concerned.  The 
Southern  white  people  found  it  extremely  hard  to 
get  clothing  for  themselves  during  that  war,  and, 
of  course,  the  slaves  underwent  no  little  suffering 
in  this  respect.  The  only  garment  that  I  remem 
ber  receiving  from  my  owners  during  the  war 
was  a  "tow  shirt."  When  I  did  not  wear  this 
shirt  I  was  positively  without  any  garment.  In 
Virginia,  the  tow  shirt  was  quite  an  institution 
during  slavery.  This  shirt  was  made  of  the 
refuse  flax  that  grew  in  that  part  of  Virginia,  and 
it  was  a  veritable  instrument  of  torture.  It  was  stiff 
and  coarse.  Until  it  had  been  worn  for  about  six 
weeks  it  made  one  feel  as  if  a  thousand  needle 
points  were  pricking  his  flesh.  I  suppose  I 
was  about  six  years  old  when  I  was  given  one  of 
these  shirts  to  wear.  After  repeated  trials  the 

*The  War  of  the  Rebellion,  1860-65. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON,  35 

torture  was  more  than  my  childish  flesh  could  en 
dure  and  I  gave  it  up  in  despair.  To  this  day  the 
sight  of  a  new  shirt  revives  the  recollection  of  the 
tortures  of  my  first  new  shirt.  In  the  midst  of 
my  despair,  in  connection  with  this  garment,  my 
brother  John,  who  was  about  two  years  older 
than  I,  did  me  a  kindness  which  I  shall  never  for 
get.  He  volunteered  to  wear  my  new  shirt  for 
me  until  it  was  "broken  in."  After  he  had  worn 
it  for  several  weeks  I  ventured  to  wear  it  myself, 
but  not  without  pain. 

Soon  after  my  shirt  experience,  when  the  win 
ter  had  grown  quite  cold,  I  received  my  first  pair 
of  shoes.  These  shoes  had  wooden  bottoms,  and 
the  tops  consisted  of  a  coarse  kind  of  leather 
covering,  and  I  have  never  felt  so  proud  since  of 
a  pair  of  shoes. 

As  soon  as  I  was  old  enough  I  performed  what, 
to  me,  was  important  service,  in  holding  the 
horses  and  riding  behind  the  white  women  of 
the  household  on  their  long  horseback  rides, 
which  were  very  common  in  those  days.  At  one 
time,  while  holding  the  horses  and  assisting 
quite  a  party  of  visiting  ladies  to  mount  their 
horses,  I  remember  that,  just  before  the  visitors 
rode  away  a  tempting  plate  of  ginger  cakes  was 
brought  out  and  handed  around  to  the  visitors. 
This,  I  think,  was  the  first  time  that  I  had  ever 
seen  any  ginger  cakes,  and  a  very  deep  impres- 


36  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

sion  was  made  upon  my  childish  mind.  I  re 
member  I  said  to  myself  that  if  I  could  ever  get 
to  the  point  where  I  eould  eat  ginger  cakes  as  I 
saw  those  ladies  eating  them  the  height  of  my 
ambition  would  be  reached. 

When  I  grew  to  be  still  larger  and  stronger 
the  duty  of  going  to  the  mill  was  intrusted  to  me ; 
that  is,  a  large  sack  containing  three  or  four 
bushels  of  corn  was  thrown  across  the  back  of  a 
horse  and  I  would  ride  away  to  the  mill,  which 
was  often  three  or  four  miles  distant,  wait  at  the 
mill  until  the  corn  was  turned  into  meal,  and  then 
bring  it  home.  More  than  once,  while  perform 
ing  this  service,  the  corn  or  meal  got  uneven 
ly  balanced  on  the  back  of  the  horse  and  fell  off 
into  the  road,  carrying  me  with  it.  This  left 
me  in  a  very  awkward  and  unfortunate  position. 
I,  of  course,  was  unable,  with  my  small  strength, 
to  lift  the  corn  or  meal  upon  the  horse's  back,  and, 
therefore  would  have  to  wait,  often  for  hours, 
until  someone  happened  to  be  passing  along  the 
road  strong  enough  to  replace  the  burden  for  me. 

My  owner's  name  was  Jones  Burroughs,  and  I 
am  quite  sure  he  was  above  the  average  in  the 
treatment  of  his  slaves.  That  is,  except  in  a  few 
cases  they  were  not  cruelly  whipped.  Although 
I  was  born  a  slave,  I  was  too  young  to  experience 
much  of  its  hardships.  The  thing  in  connection 
with  slavery  that  has  left  the  deepest  impression 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  37 

on  me  was  the  instance  of  seeing  a  grown  man, 
my  uncle,  tied  to  a  tree  early  one  morning,  strip 
ped  naked  and  someone  whipping  him  with  a 
cowhide.  As  each  blow  touched  his  back  the 
cry,  "Pray,  master!  Pray,  master !"  came  from 
his  lips,  and  made  an  impression  upon  my  boyish 
heart  that  I  shall  carry  with  me  to  my  grave. 

When  I  was  still  quite  a  child,  I  could  hear  the 
slaves  in  our  "quarters"  whispering  in  subdued 
tones  that  something  unusual — the  war — was 
about  to  take  place,  and  that  it  meant  their  free 
dom.  These  whispered  conferences  continued, 
especially  at  night,  until  the  war  actually  began. 

While  there  was  not  a  single  slave  on  our  plan 
tation  that  could  read  a  line,  in  some  way  we 
were  kept  informed  of  the  progress  of  the  war 
almost  as  accurately  as  the  most  intelligent  per 
son.  The  "grapevine"  telegraph  was  in  constant 
use.  When  Lee  surrendered  all  of  the  planta 
tion  people  knew  it,  although  all  of  them  acted  as 
if  they  were  in  ignorance  of  the  fact  that  anything 
unusual  had  taken  place. 

Early  one  morning,  just  after  the  close  of 
the  war,  word  was  sent  around  to  the  slave 
cabins  that  all  the  slaves  must  go  to  the 
"big  house,"  the  master's  house;  and  in  company 
with  my  mother  and  a  large  number  of  other 
slaves,  including  my  sister  Amanda  and  brother 
John,  I  went  to  the  "big  house,77  and  stood  by  the 


38  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

side  of  my  mother,  and  listened  to  the  reading  of 
some  papers  and  a  little  speech  made  by  the  one 
who  read  the  papers.  This  was  the  first  public 
address  I  had  ever  heard,  and  I  need  not  add 
that  it  was  the  most  effective  one  to  which  it  had 
ever  been  my  privilege  to  listen.  After  the  read 
ing  of  the  paper  and  the  speech,  my  mother 
leaned  over  and  whispered,  "Now,  my  children, 
we  are  free."  This  act  was  hailed  with  joy  by 
all  the  slaves,  but  it  threw  a  tremendous  respon 
sibility  upon  my  mother,  as  well  as  upon  the  other 
slaves.  A  large  portion  of  the  former  slaves 
hired  themselves  to  their  owners,  while  others 
sought  new  employment;  but,  before  the  begin 
ning  of  the  new  life,  most  of  the  ex-slaves  left  the 
plantation  for  a  few  days  at  least,  so  as  to  get  the 
"hang"  of  the  new  life,  and  to  be  sure  that  they 
were  free.  My  mother's  husband,  my  stepfather, 
had  in  some  way  wandered  into  West  Virginia 
during  the  war,  and  had  secured  employment  in 
the  salt  furnace  near  Maiden,  in  Kanawha  coun 
ty.  Soon  after  freedom  was  declared  he  sought 
out  my  mother  and  sent  a  wagon  to  bring  her  and 
her  children  to  West  Virginia.  After  many  days 
of  slow,  tiresome  traveling  over  the  mountains, 
during  which  we  suffered  much,  we  finally 
reached  Maiden,  and  my  mother  and  her  husband 
were  united  after  a  long  enforced  separation. 
The  trip  from  Franklin  county  to  Maiden, 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  39 

West  Virginia,  was  the  first  one  that  had  taken 
me  out  of  the  county  where  I  was  born,  and,  of 
course,  it  was  quite  an  event,  especially  to  the 
children  of  the  family,  although  the  parting  from 
the  old  homestead  was  to  my  mother  a  very  seri 
ous  affair.  All  of  our  household  and  other  goods 
were  packed  into  a  small  wagon  drawn  by  two 
horses  or  mules.  I  cannot  recall  how  many  days 
it  took  us  to  make  this  trip,  but  it  seems  to  me, 
as  I  recall  it  now,  that  we  were  a  least  ten  days.  Of 
course  we  had  to  sleep  in  the  wagon,  or  what 
was  more  often  true,  on  the  ground.  The  chil 
dren  walked  a  great  portion  of  the  distance. 

One  night  we  camped  near  an  abandoned  log 
cabin,  and  my  mother  decided  that,  instead  of 
cooking  our  frugal  meal  in  the  open  air,  as  she 
had  been  accustomed  to  do  on  the  trip,  she  would 
build  a  fire  in  this  cabin  and  we  should  both  cook 
and  sleep  in  it  during  the  night.  When  we  had 
gotten  the  fire  well  started,  to  the  consternation  of 
all  of  us,  a  large  .and  frightful  looking  snake  came 
down  the  chimney.  This,  of  course,  did  away 
with  all  idea  of  our  sheltering  ourselves  in  the 
cabin  for  the  night,  and  we  slept  out  in  the  open 
air,  as  we  had  done  on  previous  occasions. 

Since  I  have  grown  to  manhood  it  has  been  my 
privilege  to  pass  over  much  of  the  same  road 
traveled  on  this  first  trip  to  West  Virginia,  but 
my  recent  journeys  have  been  made  in  well-ap- 


40  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

pointed  steam  cars.  At  the  time  I  first  traveled 
through  that  part  of  Virginia  and  West  Virginia 
there  was  no  railroad,  and  if  there  had  been  we 
did  not  have  the  money  to  pay  our  passage. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  our  family  consisted  of 
my  mother,  step-father,  my  brother  John  and 
sister  Amanda.  My  brother  John  is  director  of 
the  mechanical  department  of  the  Tuskegee 
Institute,  and  my  sister,  now  Mrs.  Amanda  John 
son,  lives  in  Maiden,  West  Virginia.  Soon  after 
we  moved  to  West  Virginia  my  mother  took 
into  our  family,  notwithstanding  our  own  poverty, 
a  young  orphan  boy  who  has  always  remained  a 
part  of  our  family.  We  gave  him  the  name  of 
James  B.  Washington.  He,  now  grown  to  man 
hood,  holds  an  important  position  at  the  Tuske 
gee  Institute. 

While  I  have  not  had  the  privilege  of  return 
ing  to  the  old  homestead  in  Franklin  county, 
Virginia,  since  I  left  there  as  a  child  immediately 
after  the  war,  I  have  kept  in  more  or  less  corres 
pondence  with  members  of  the  Burroughs  family, 
and  they  seem  to  take  the  deepest  interest  in  the 
progress  of  our  work  at  Tuskegee. 


CHAPTER  II. 

BOYHOOD  IN  WEST  VIRGINIA. 

We  began  life  in  West  Virginia  in  a  little 
shanty,  and  lived  in  it  for  several  years.  My 
step-father  soon  obtained  work  for  my  brother 
John  and  myself  in  the  salt  furnaces  and  coal 
mines,  and  we  worked  alternately  in  them  until 
about  the  year  1871.  Soon  after  we  reached 
West  Virginia  a  school  teacher,  Mr.  William 
Davis,  came  into  the  community,  and  the  col 
ored  people  induced  him  to  open  a  school.  My 
step-father  was  not  able  to  spare  me  from  work, 
so  that  I  could  attend  this  school,  when  it  was 
first  opened,  and  this  proved  a  sore  disappoint 
ment  to  me.  I  remember  that  soon  after  going 
to  Maiden,  West  Virginia,  I  saw  a  young  colored 
man  among  a  large  number  of  colored  people, 
reading  a  newspaper,  and  this  fired  my  ambition  to 
learn  to  read  as  nothing  had  done  before.  I  said 
to  myself,  if  I  could  ever  reach  the  point  where  I 
could  read  as  this  man  was  doing,  the  acme  of 
my  ambition  would  be  reached.  Although  I 
could  not  attend  the  school,  I  remember  that,  in 
some  way,  my  mother  secured  a  book  for  me, 
and  although  she  could  not  read  herself,  she 
tried  in  every  way  possible  to  help  me  to  do  so. 

43 


44  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 


;  THIS  FIRED  MY  AMBITION  TO  LEARN  TO  READ  AS  NOTHING 
HAD  DONE  BEFORE." 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  45 

In  some  way,  I  cannot  now  recall  how,  I  learned 
my  letters  while  working  in  the  salt  furnace  and 
coal  mines.  As  time  went  on,  after  considerable 
persuasion  on  my  part,  my  step-father  consented 
to  permit  me  to  attend  the  public  school  half  of 
the  day,  provided  I  would  get  up  very  early  in 
the  morning  and  perform  as  much  work  as  possi 
ble  before  school  time.  This  permission  brought 
me  great  joy.  By  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  I 
was  up  and  at  my  work,  which  continued  until 
nearly  nine  o'clock.  The  first  day  I  entered 
school;  it  seems  to  me,  was  the  happiest  day  that 
I  have  ever  known.  The  first  embarrassment  I 
experienced  at  school  was  in  the  matter  of  find 
ing  a  name  for  myself.  I  had  always  been  called 
"Booker,"  and  had  not  known  that  one  had  use 
for  more  than  one  name.  Some  of  the  slaves 
took  the  sirnames  of  their  owners,  but  after  free 
dom  there  was  a  prejudice  against  doing  this, 
and  a  large  part  of  the  colored  people  gave 
themselves  new  names.  When  the  teacher  called 
the  roll,  I  noticed  that  he  called  each  pupil  by 
two  names,  that  is  a  given  name  and  a  sirname. 
When  he  came  to  me  he  asked  for  my  full  name, 
and  I  told  him  to  put  me  down  as  "Booker 
Washington,"  and  that  name  I  have  borne  ever 
since.  It  is  not  every  school  boy  who  has  the 
privilege  of  choosing  his  own  name.  In  intro 
ducing  me  to  an  audience  in  Essex  Hall,  Lon- 


46 


THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  47 

don,  during  my  visit  to  Europe,  in  the  summer 
of  1899,  Honorable  Joseph  H.  Choate,  the  Amer 
ican  Ambassador,  said  that  I  was  one  of  the  few 
Americans  that  had  had  the  opportunity  of 
choosing  his  own  name,  and  in  exercising  the 
rare  privilege  I  had  very  naturally  chosen  the 
best  name  there  was  in  the  list. 

My  step-father  seemed  to  be  over  careful  that 
I  should  continue  my  work  in  the  salt  furnace 
until  nine  o'clock  each  day.  This  practice  made 
me  late  at  school,  and  often  caused  me  to  miss 
my  lessons.  To  overcome  this  I  resorted  to  a 
practice  of  which  I  am  not  now  very  proud,  and  it 
is  one  of  the  few  things  I  did  as  a  child  of  which  I 
am  now  ashamed.  There  was  a  large  clock  in 
the  salt  furnace  that  kept  the  time  for  hundreds 
of  workmen  connected  with  the  salt  furnace  and 
coal  mine.  But,  as  I  found  myself  continually 
late  at  school,  and  after  missing  some  of  my  les 
sons,  I  yielded  to  the  temptation  to  move  forward 
the  hands  on  the  dial  of  the  clock  so  as  to  give 
enough  time  to  permit  me  to  get  to  school  in 
time.  This  went  on  for  several  days,  until  the 
manager  found  the  time  so  Unreliable  that  the 
clock  was  locked  up  in  a  case. 

It  was  in  Maiden  that  I  first  found  out  what  a 
Sunday  school  meant.  I  remember  that  I  was 
playing  marbles  one  Sunday  morning  in  the  road 
with  a  number  of  other  boys,  and  an  old  colored 


48  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

man  passed  by  on  his  way  to  Sunday  school.  He 
spoke  a  little  harshly  to  us  about  playing  marbles  on 
Sunday,  and  asked  why  we  did  not  go  to  Sunday 
school.  He  explained  in  a  few  broken  though 
plain  words  what  a  Sunday  school  meant  and 
what  benefit  we  would  get  from  it  by  going. 
His  words  impressed  me  so  that  I  put  away  my 
marbles  and  followed  him  to  Sunday  school,  and 
thereafter  was  in  regular  attendance.  I  remem 
ber  that,  some  years  afterwards,  I  became  one  of 
the  teachers  in  this  Sunday  school  and  finally  be 
came  its  superintendent. 

Every  barrel  of  salt  that  was  packed  in  the 
mines  had  to  be  marked  in  some  way  by  the 
manager,  and  by  watching  the  letters  or  the 
figures  that  were  put  on  the  salt  barrels,  and  by 
hard  study  in  school,  I  soon  learned  to  read. 
*  My  step-father  was  not  able,  however,  to  per 
mit  me  to  continue  in  school  long,  even  for  a  half 
day  at  the  time.  I  was  soon  taken  out  of  school 
and  put  to  work  in  the  coal  mine.  As  a  child  I 
recall  now  the  fright  which,  going  a  long  distance 
under  the  mountain  into  a  dark  and  damp  coal  mine, 
gave  me.  It  seemed  to  me  that  the  distance 
from  the  opening  of  the  mine  to  the  place  where 
I  had  to  work  was  at  least  a  mile  and  a  half. 
Although  I  had  to  leave  school  I  did  not  give  up 
my  search  for  knowledge.  I  took  my  book  into 
the  coal  mine,  and  during  the  spare  minutes  I 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  49 

tried  to  read  by  the  light  of  the  little  lamp  which 
hung  on  my  cap.  Not  long  after  I  began  to 
work  in  the  mines  my  mother  hired  some  one  to 
teach  me  at  night,  but  often,  after  walking  a  con 
siderable  distance  for  a  night's  lesson,  I  found 
that  my  teacher  knew  but  little  more  than  I  did. 
This,  however,  was  not  the  case  with  Mr. 
William  Davis,  my  first  teacher. 

After  working  in  the  coal  mine  for  some  time, 
my  mother  secured  a  position  for  me  as  house 
boy  in  the  family  of  General  Lewis  Ruffner.  I 
went  to  live  with  this  family  with  a  good  many 
fears  and  doubts.  General  Ruffner's  wife,  Mrs. 
Viola  Ruffner,  had  the  reputation  of  being  very 
strict  and  hard  to  please,  and  most  of  the  boys 
who  had  been  employed  by  her  had  remained 
only  a  short  time  with  her.  After  remaining 
with  Mrs.  Ruffner  a  while,  I  grew  weary  of  her 
exact  manner  of  having  things  done,  and,  without 
giving  her  any  notice,  I  ran  away  and  hired  my 
self  to  a  steamboat  captain  who  was  plying  a 
boat  between  Maiden  and  Cincinnati.  Mrs.  Ruff  tier 
was  a  New  England  woman,  with  all  the  New  En 
gland  ideas  about  order,  cleanliness  and  truth.  The 
boat  captain  hired  me  as  a  waiter,  but  before  the 
boat  had  proceeded  many  miles  towards  Cincin 
nati  he  found  that  I  knew  too  little  about  waiting 
on  the  table  to  be  of  any  service,  so  he  discharged 
me  before  I  had  been  on  his  boat  for  many  hours. 

4 


50  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

In  some  way,  however,  I  persuaded  him  to  take  me 
to  Cincinnati  and  return  me  to  Maiden.  As  soon 
as  I  returned  home,  I  returned  to  Mrs.  Ruffner, 
acknowledged  my  sins,  and  secured  my  old  posi 
tion  again.  After  I  had  lived  with  Mrs.  Ruffner 
for  a  while  she  permitted  me  to  attend  school 
for  a  few  hours  in  the  afternoons  during  three 
months,  on  the  condition  that  I  should  work  faith 
fully  during  the  forenoon.  She  paid  me,  or 
rather  my  step-father,  six  dollars  per  month  and 
board  for  my  work.  When  I  could  not  get  the 
opportunity  to  attend  school  in  the  afternoon  I 
resorted  to  my  old  habit  of  having  some  one 
teach  me  at  night,  although  I  had  to  walk  a  good 
distance  after  my  work  was  done  in  order  to  do 
this. 

While  living  with  Mrs.  Ruffner  I  got  some 
very  valuable  experience  in  another  direction,  that 
of  marketing  and  selling  vegetables.  Mrs.  Ruff 
ner  was  very  fond  of  raising  grapes  and  vege 
tables,  and,  although  I  was  quite  a  boy,  she  en 
trusted  me  with  the  responsibility  of  selling  a 
large  portion  of  these  products.  I  became  very 
fond  of  this  work.  I  remember  that  I  used  to  go 
to  the  houses  of  the  miners  and  prevail  upon  them 
to  buy  these  things.  I  think  at  first  Mrs.  Ruff 
ner  doubted  whether  or  not  I  would  be  honest  in 
these  transactions,  but  as  time  went  on  and  she 
found  the  cash  from  these  sales  constantly  in- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  51 

creasing,  her  confidence  grew  in  me,  and  before  I 
left  her  service  she  willingly  trusted  me  with  any 
thing  in  her  possession.  I  always  made  it  a 
special  point  to  return  to  her  at  the  end  of  each 
campaign  as  a  salesman  every  cent  that  I  had  re 
ceived  and  to  let  her  see  how  much  vegetables  or 
fruit  was  brought  back  unsold. 

At  one  time  I  remember  that,  when  I  passed 
by  an  acquaintance  of  mine  when  I  had  a  large 
basket  of  peaches  for  sale,  he  took  the  liberty  of 
walking  up  to  me  and  taking  one  of  the  ripest 
and  most  tempting  peaches.  Although  he  was  a 
man  and  I  was  but  a  boy,  I  gave  him  to  under 
stand  in  the  most  forceful  manner  that  I  would 
not  permit  it.  He  seemed  greatly  surprised  that 
I  would  not  let  him  take  one  peach.  He  tried  to 
explain  to  me  that  no  one  would  miss  it  and  that 
I  would  be  none  the  worse  off  for  his  taking  it. 
When  he  could  not  bring  me  to  his  way  of  think 
ing  he  tried  to  frighten  me  by  force  into  yielding, 
but  I  had  my  way,  and  I  am  sure  that  this  man 
respected  me  all  the  more  for  being  honest  with 
other  people's  property.  I  told  him  that  if  the 
peaches  were  mine  I  would  gladly  let  him  have 
one;  but  under  no  circumstances  could  I  consent 
to  let  him  take  without  a  protest  that  which  was 
entrusted  to  me  by  others.  It  happened  very 
often  that  as  I  would  pass  through  the  streets 
with  a  large  basket  of  grapes  or  other  fruit, 


52  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

many  of  the  larger  boys  tried  by  begging  and 
then  by  force  to  dispossess  me  of  a  portion  of 
what  had  been  given  me  to  sell,  but  I  think 
there  was  no  instance  when  I  yielded.  From 
my  earliest  childhood  I  have  always  had  it  im 
planted  in  me  that  it  never  pays  to  be  dishonest, 
and  that  reward,  at  some  time,  in  some  manner, 
for  the  performance  of  conscientious  duty,  will 
always  come,  and  in  this  I  have  never  been  disap 
pointed. 

In  all,  I  must  have  spent  about  four  years  in 
the  employ  of  Mrs.  Ruffner;  and  I  here  repeat 
what  I  have  said  more  than  once,  that  aside  from 
the  training  I  got  at  the  Hampton  Institute  under 
General  Armstrong,  Mrs.  Ruffner  gave  me  the 
most  valuable  part  of  my  education.  Her  habit  of 
requiring  everything  about  her  to  be  clean ,  neat  and 
orderly,  gave  me  an  education  in  these  respects 
that  has  been  most  valuable  to  me  in  the  work 
that  I  have  since  tried  to  accomplish.  At  first  I 
thought  that  her  idea  of  strict  honesty  and  punctu 
ality  in  everything  meant  unkindness,  but  I  soon 
learned  to  understand  her  and  she  to  understand 
me,  and  she  has  from  the  first  time  that  I  knew 
her  until  this  day  proven  one  of  the  best  friends  I 
ever  possessed. 

One  day,  while  I  was  at  work  in  the  coal  mine, 
I  heard  some  men  talking  about  a  school  in  Vir 
ginia,  where  they  said  that  black  boys  and  girls 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  53 

were  permitted  to  enter,  and  where  poor  students 
were  given  an  opportunity  of  working  for  their 
board,  if  they  had  not  money  with  which  to  pay 
for  it.  As  soon  as  I  heard  of  this  institution,  1 
made  up  my  mind  to  go  there.  After  I  had  lived 
with  Mrs.  Ruffner  about  four  years  I  decided  to 
go  to  the  Hampton  Institute,  in  Virginia,  the 
school  of  which  I  had  heard.  I  had  no  definite 
idea  about  where  the  Hampton  Institute  was,  or 
how  long  the  journey  was.  Some  time  before 
starting  for  Hampton,  I  remember,  I  joined  the 
little  Baptist  church,  in  Maiden,  of  which  I  am 
still  a  member. 


CHAPTER  III. 

LIFE  AT  HAMPTON  INSTITUTE. 

After  my  mother  and  brother  John  had 
secured  me  a  few  extra  garments,  with  what  I 
could  provide  for  myself,  I  started  for  Hampton 
about  the  first  of  October,  1872.  How  long  I 
was  on  this  journey  I  have  at  this  time  no  very 
definite  idea.  Part  of  the  way  I  went  by  rail 
road  and  part  in  a  stage  and  part  on  foot.  I 
remember  that,  when  I  got  as  far  as  Richmond, 
Virginia,  I  was  completely  out  of  money  and 
knew  not  a  single  person  in  the  city.  Besides,  I 
had  never  been  in  a  city  before.  I  think  it  was 
about  nine  o'clock  at  night  that  I  reached  Rich 
mond.  I  was  hungry,  tired  and  dirty,  and  had 
no  where  to  go.  I  wandered  about  the  streets 
until  about  midnight,  when  I  felt  completely 
exhausted. 

By  chance  I  came  to  a  street  that  had  a  plank 
sidewalk,  and  I  crept  under  this  sidewalk  and 
spent  the  night.  The  next  morning  I  felt  very 
much  rested,  but  was  still  quite  hungry,  as  it  had 
been  some  time  since  I  had  a  good  meal.  When 
I  awoke,  I  noticed  some  ships  not  far  from  where 
I  had  spent  the  night.  I  went  to  one  of  these 
vessels  and  asked  the  captain  to  permit  me  to 

55 


56  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 


BOOKER  STARTING  FOR   HAMPTON  INSTITUTE. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  57 

work  for  him,  so  that  I  could  earn  some  money 
to  get  some  food.  The  captain  very  kindly  gave 
me  work,  which  was  that  of  helping  to  unload 
pig  iron  from  the  vessel.  In  my  rather  weak 
and  hungry  condition  I  found  this  very  hard 
work,  but  I  stuck  to  it,  and  was  given  enough 
money  to  buy  a  little  food.  My  work  seemed  to 
have  pleased  the  master  of  the  .vessel  so  much 
that  he  furnished  me  with  work  for  several  days, 
but  I  continued  to  sleep  under  the  sidewalk  each 
night,  for  I  was  very  anxious  to  save  enough 
money  to  pay  my  passage  to  Hampton. 

After  working  on  this  vessel  for  some  days  I 
started  again  for  Hampton  and  arrived  there  in 
a  day  or  two,  with  a  surplus  of  fifty  cents  in  my 
pocket.  I  did  not  let  any  one  know  how  forlorn 
my  condition  was.  I  feared  that  if  I  did,  I 
would  be  rejected  as  one  that  was  altogether  too 
unpromising.  The  first  person  I  saw  after 
reaching  the  Hampton  Institute  was  Miss  Mary 
F.  Mackie,  the  Lady  Principal.  After  she  had 
asked  me  a  good  many  searching  questions,  with 
a  good  deal  of  doubt  and  hesitation  in  her  man 
ner,  I  was  assigned  to  a  room.  She  remarked 
at  the  same  time  that  it  would  be  decided  later 
whether  I  could  be  admitted  as  a  student.  I 
shall  not  soon  forget  the  impression  that  the 
sight  of  a  good,  clean,  comfortable  room  and  bed 
made  upon  me,  for  I  had  not  slept  in  a  bed  since 


58          .  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

I  left  my  home  in  West  Virginia.  Within  a 
few  hours  I  presented  myself  again  before  Miss 
Mackie  to  hear  my  fate,  but  she  still  seemed  to 
be  undecided.  Instead  of  telling  me  whether  or 
not  I  could  remain,  I  remember,  she  showed 
me  a  large  recitation  room  ancl  told  me  to 
sweep,  I  felt  at  once  that  the  sweeping  of  that 
room  would  decide  my  case.  I  knew  I  could 
sweep,  for  Mrs.  Ruffner  had  taught  me  that  art 
well.  I  think  that  I  must  have  swept  that  room 
over  as  many  as  three  times  and  dusted  it  the 
same  number  of  times.  After  awhile  she  came 
into  the  room  and  rubbed  her  handkerchief  over 
the  tables  and  benches  to  see  if  I  had  left  any 
dust,  but  not  a  particle  could  she  find.  She  re 
marked  with  a  smile,  "I  guess  we  will  try  you  as 
a  student."  At  that  moment  I  think  I  was  the 
happiest  individual  that  ever  entered  the  Hamp 
ton  Institute. 

After  I  had  been  at  the  Hampton  Institute  a 
day  or  two  I  saw  General  Armstrong,  the  Princi 
pal,  and  he  made  an  impression  upon  me  of  being 
the  most  perfect  specimen  of  man,  physically, 
mentally  and  spiritually,  that  I  had  ever  seen,  and 
I  have  never  had  occasion  to  change  my  first  im 
pression.  In  fact,  as  the  years  went  by  and  as  I 
came  to  know  him  better,  the  feeling  grew.  I 
have  never  seen  a  man  in  whom  I  had  such  con 
fidence.  It  never  occurred  to  me  that  it  was  pos- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  59 

sible  for  him  to  fail  in  anything  that  he  undertook 
to  accomplish.  I  have  sometimes  thought  that 
the  best  part  of  my  education  at  Hampton  was 
obtained  by  being  permitted  to  look  upon 
General  Armstrong  day  by  day.  He  was  a  man 
who  could  not  endure  for  a  minute  hypocrisy  or 
want  of  truth  in  any  one.  This  moral  lesson  he 
impressed  upon  every  one  who  came  in  contact 
with  him. 

After  I  had  succeeded  in  passing  my  "sweeping 
examination,"  I  was  assigned  by  Miss  Mackie  to 
the  position  of  assistant  janitor.  This  position, 
with  the  exception  of  working  on  the  farm  for 
awhile,  I  held  during  the  time  I  was  a  student  at 
Hampton.  I  took  care  of  four  or  five  class  rooms ; 
that  is,  I  swept  and  dusted  them  and  built  the 
fires  when  needed.  A  great  portion  of  the  time 
I  had  to  rise  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  in 
order  to  do  my  work  and  find  time  to  prepare  my 
lessons. 

Ever}Tthing  was  very  crude  at  Hampton  when 
I  first  went  there.  There  were  about  two  hund 
red  students.  There  was  but  one  substantial 
building,  together  with  some  old  government  bar 
racks.  There  were  no  table  cloths  on  the  meal 
tables,  and  that  which  was  called  tea  or  coffee 
was  served  to  us  in  yellow  bowls.  Corn  bread 
was  our  chief  food.  Once  a  week  we  got  a  taste 
of  white  bread. 


60  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON   REHEARSING    HIS  GRADUATING 
ORATION  AT  HAMPTON.    HIS  FIRST  SPEECH. 


BOOKER  T.WASHINGTON.  61 

While  taking  the  regular  literary  and  industrial 
courses  at  Hampton,  next  to  my  regular  studies 
I  was  most  fond  of  the  debating  societies,  of 
which  there  were  two  or  three.  The  first  subject 
that  I  debated  in  public  was  whether  or  not  the 
execution  of  Maj.  Andre  was  justifiable.  After 
I  had  been  at  Hampton  a  few  months  I  helped  to 
organize  the  "After  Supper  Club."  I  noticed 
that  the  students  usually  had  about  twenty 
minutes  after  tea  when  no  special  duty  called 
them ;  so,  about  twenty-five  of  us  agreed  to  come 
together  each  evening  and  spend  those  twenty 
minutes  in  the  discussion  of  some  important  sub 
ject.  These  meetings  were  a  constant  source  of 
delight  and  were  most  valuable  in  preparing  us 
for  public  speaking. 

While  at  Hampton  my  best  friends  did  not 
know  how  badly  off  I  was  for  clothing  during  a 
large  part  of  the  time,  but  I  did  not  fret  about 
that.  I  always  had  the  feeling  that  if  I  could  get 
knowledge  in  my  head  the  matter  of  clothing 
would  take  care  of  itself  afterwards.  At  one 
time  I  was  reduced  to  a  single  ragged  pair  of 
cheap  socks.  These  socks  I  had  to  wash  over 
night  and  put  them  on  the  next  morning. 

After  I  had  remained  at  Hampton  for  two 
years  I  went  back  to  West  Virginia  to  spend  my 
four  months  of  vacation.  Soon  after  my  return 
to  Maiden  my  mother,  who  was  never  strong, 


62  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

died.  I  do  not  remember  how  old  I  was  at  this 
time,  but  I  do  remember  that  it  was  during  my 
vacation  from  Hampton.  I  had  been  without 
work  for  some  time  and  had  been  off  several 
miles  looking  for  work.  On  returning  home  at 
night  I  was  very  tired  and  stopped  in  the  boiler- 
room  of  one  of  the  engines  used  to  pump  salt 
water  into  the  salt  furnace  near  my  home.  I  was 
so  tired  that  I  soon  fell  asleep.  About  two  or 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning  some  one,  my  brother 
John,  I  think,  found  me  and  told  me  that  our 
mother  was  dead.  It  has  always  been  a  source 
of  indescribable  pain  to  me  that  I  was  not  present 
when  she  passed  away,  but  the  lessons  of  truth, 
honor  and  thrift  which  she  implanted  in  me  while 
she  lived  have  remained  with  me,  and  I  consider 
them  among  my  most  precious  possessions.  She 
seemed  never  to  tire  of  planning  ways  for  me  and 
the  other  children  to  get  an  education  and  to  make 
true  men  and  women  of  us,  although  she  herself 
was  without  education.  This  was  the  severest 
trial  I  had  ever  experienced,  because  she  always 
sympathized  with  me  deeply  in  every  effort  that 
I  made  to  secure  an  education.  My  sister 
Amanda  was  too  young  to  know  how  to  take 
care  of  the  house,  and  my  step-father  was  too 
poor  to  hire  anyone.  Sometimes  we  had  food 
cooked  for  our  meals  and  sometimes  we  had  not. 
During  the  whole  of  the  summer,  after  the  death 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  63 

of  my  mother,  I  do  not  think  there  was  a  time 
when  the  whole  family  sat  down  to  a  meal  to 
gether.  By  working  for  Mrs.  Ruffner  and  oth 
ers,  and  by  the  aid  of  my  brother  John,  I 
obtained  money  enough  to  return  to  Hampton  in 
the  fall,  and  graduated  in  the  regular  course  in 
the  summer  of  1875. 

Aside  from  Gen.  Armstrong,  Gen.  Marshall 
and  Miss  Mackie,  the  persons  who  made  the 
deepest  impression  upon  me  at  Hampton  were 
Miss  Nathalie  Lord  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Brewer, 
two  tethers  from  New  England.  I  am  espec 
ially  indebted  to  these  two  for  being  helped  in  my 
spiritual  life  and  led  to  love  and  understand  the 
Bible.  Largely  by  reason  of  their  teaching,  I 
find  that  a  day  rarely,  if  ever,  passes  when  I  am 
at  home,  that  I  do  not  read  the  Bible.  Miss  Lord 
was  the  teacher  of  reading,  and  she  kindly  con 
sented  to  give  me  many  extra  lessons  in  elocution. 
These  lessons  I  have  since  found  most  valuable 
to  me. 

After  finishing  the  course  at  Hampton,  I  went 
to  Saratoga  Springs,  in  New  York,  and  was  a 
waiter  during  the  summer  at  the  United  States 
Hotel,  the  same  hotel  at  which  I  have  several  times 
since  been  a  guest  upon  the  invitation  of  friends. 


WARREN  LOGAN,  Treasurer. 
TEACHERS  AT  TUSKEGEE  INSTITUTE. 


K.  J.  SCOTT,  Mr.  Washington's  Private  Secretary. 

A  BRILLIANT  TRIO   OF  COLORED  AMERICANS.     ENTHUSIASTIC 
SUPPORTERS  OF  MR.  WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

HOW   THE    FIRST    SIX.YEARS    AFTER    GRADUATION 
FROM  HAMPTON  WERE  SPENT. 

In  the  fall  of  1875  I  returned  to  Maiden  and 
was  elected  as  the  teacher  in  the  school  at  Maiden, 
the  first  school  that  I  ever  attended.  I  taught 
this  school  for  three  years.  The  thing  that 
I  recall  most  pleasantly  in  connection  with  my 
teaching  was  the  fact  that  I  induced  several  of 
my  pupils  to  go  to  Hampton  and  most  of  them 
have  become  strong  and  useful  men.  One  of 
them  Dr.  Samuel  E.  Courtney,  is  now  a  successful 
physician  in  Boston  and  a  member  of  the  Boston 
Board  of  Education.  While  teaching  I  insisted 
that  each  pupil  should  come  to  school  clean, 
should  have  his  or  her  hands  and  face  washed  and 
hair  combed  and  should  keep  the  buttons  on  his 
or  her  clothing. 

I  not  only  taught  school  in  the  day,  but  for  a 
great  portion  of  the  time  taught  night  school. 
In  addition  to  this  I  had  two  Sunday  schools,  one 
at  a  place  called  Snow  Hill,  about  two  miles 
from  Maiden,  in  the  morning,  and  another  in 
Maiden  in  the  afternoon.  The  average  attend 
ance  in  my  day  school,  was  I  think,  between  80 
5  67 


68  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

and  90.  As  I  had  no  assistant  teacher  it  was 
a  very  difficult  task  to  keep  all  the  pupils  inter 
ested  and  to  see  that  they  made  progress  in  their 
studies.  I  had  few  unpleasant  experiences,  how 
ever,  in  connection  with  my  teaching.  Most  of 
the  parents,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they 
and  many  of  the  children  knew  me  as  a  boy, 
seemed  to  have  the  greatest  confidence  in  me 
and  respect  for  me  and  did  everything  in  their 
power  to  make  the  work  pleasant  and  agreeable. 

One  thing  that  gave  me  a  great  deal  of  satis 
faction  and  pleasure  in  teaching  this  school  was 
the  conducting  of  a  debating  society  which  met 
weekly  and  was  largely  attended  both  by  the 
young  and  older  people.  It  was  in  this  debating 
society  and  the  societies  of  a  similar  character  at 
Hampton  that  I  began  to  cultivate  whatever  tal 
ent  I  may  have  for  public  speaking.  While  in 
Maiden,  our  debating  society  would  very  often 
arrange  for  debates  with  other  similar  organiza 
tions  in  Charleston  and  elsewhere. 

Soon  after  I  began  teaching,  I  resolved  to 
induce  my  brother  John  to  attend  the  Hampton 
Institute.  He  had  been  good  enough  to  work 
for  the  family  while  I  was  being  educated,  and 
besides  had  helped  me  in  all  the  ways  he  could, 
by  working  in  the  coal  mines  while  I  had  been 
away.  Within  a  few  months  he  started  for  Hamp 
ton  and  by  his  own  efforts  and  my  aid  he  went 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  69 

through  the  institution.  After  both  of  us  had 
gotten  through  Hampton  we  sent  our  adopted 
brother  James  there,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of 
having  him  educated  under  Gen.  Armstrong. 

In  1878  I  went  to  Wayland  Seminary,  in 
Washington,  and  spent  a  year  in  study  there. 
Rev.  Dr.  King  was  President  of  Wayland 
Seminary  while  I  was  a  student  there.  Not 
withstanding  I  was  "there  but  a  short  time,  the 
high  Christian  character  of  Dr.  King  made  a 
lasting  impression  upon  me.  The  deep  religious 
spirit  which  pervaded  the  atmosphere  at  Way- 
land  made  an  impression  upon  me  which  I  trust 
will  always  remain. 

Soon  after  my  year  at  Wayland  had  expired,  I 
was  invited  by  a  committee  of  gentlemen  in 
Charleston,  West  Virginia,  to  stump  the  state  of 
West  Virginia  in  the  interest  of  having  the 
capital  of  the  state  moved  from  Wheeling,  West 
Virginia,  to  Charleston.  For  some  time  there 
had  been  quite  an  agitation  in  the  state  on  the 
question  of  the  permanent  location  of  the  capital. 
A  law  was  passed  by  the  legislature  providing 
that  three  cities  might  be  voted  for;  these  were, 
I  think,  Charleston,  Parkersburg  and  Martinsburg. 
It  was  a  three-cornered  contest  and  great  energy 
was  shown  by  each  city.  After  about  three 
months  of  campaigning  the  voters  declared  in 
favor  of  Charleston  as  the  permanent  capital  by 


70  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

a  large  majority.  I  went  into  a  large  number  of 
the  counties  of  West  Virginia  and  had  the  satis 
faction  of  feeling  that  my  efforts  counted  for 
something  in  winning  success  for  Charleston, 
which  is  only  five  miles  from  my  old  home, 
Maiden. 

The  speaking  in  connection  with  the  removal 
of  the  capital  rather  fired  the  slumbering  ambition 
which  I  had  had  for  some  time  to  become  a 
lawyer,  and  after  this  campaign  was  over  I  began 
in  earnest  to  study  law,  in  fact  read  Blackstone 
and  several  elementary  law  books  preparatory  to 
the  profession  of  the  law.  A  good  deal  of  my 
reading  of  the  law  was  done  under  the  kind 
direction  of  the  Hon.  Romes  H.  Freer,  a  white 
man  who  was  then  a  prosperous  lawyer  in  Char 
leston  and  who  has  since  become  a  member  of 
Congress.  But  notwithstanding  my  ambition  to 
become  a  lawyer,  I  always  had  an  unexplainable 
feeling  that  I  was  to  do  something  else,  and  that 
I  never  would  have  the  opportunity  to  practice 
law.  As  I  analyze  at  the  present  time  the  feel 
ing  that  seemed  to  possess  me  then,  I  was  im 
pressed  with  the  idea  that  to  confine  myself  to 
the  practice  of  law  would  be  going  contrary  to 
my  teaching  at  Hampton,  and  would  limit  me  to 
a  much  smaller  sphere  of  usefulness  than  was 
open  to  me  if  I  followed  the  work  of  educating 
my  people  after  the  manner  in  which  I  had  been 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  71 

taught  at  Hampton.  The  course  of  events,  how 
ever,  very  soon  placed  me  where  I  found  an 
opportunity  to  begin  my  life's  work. 

My  work  in  connection  with  the  removal  of 
the  capital  had  not  long  been  over  when  I  re 
ceived  an  invitation  from  Gen.  Armstrong, 
very  much  to  my  surprise,  to  return  to  Hampton 
and  deliver  the  graduates'  address  at  the  next 
commencement.  I  chose  as  the  subject  of  this 
address,  "The  Force  that  Wins."  Everyone 
seemed  greatly  pleased  with  what  I  said.  After 
the  address  I  was  still  further  surprised  by  being 
asked  by  Gen.  Armstrong  to  return  to  the  Hamp 
ton  Institute  and  take  a  position,  partly  as  a 
teacher  and  partly  as  a  post-graduate  student. 
This  I  gladly  consented  to  do.  Gen.  Armstrong 
had  decided  to  start  a  night  cl^ass  at  Hampton  for 
students  who  wanted  to  work  all  day  and  study  for 
two  hours  at  night.  He  asked  me  to  organize  and 
teach  this  class.  At  first  there  were  only  about  a 
half  dozen  students  but  the  number  soon  grew  to 
about  thirty.  The  night  class  at  Hampton  has 
since  grown  to  the  point  where  it  now  numbers 
six  or  seven  hundred.  It  seems  to  me  that  the 
teaching  of  this  class  was  almost  the  most  satis 
factory  work  I  ever  did.  The  students  who  com 
posed  the  class  worked  during  the  day  for  ten 
hours  in  the  saw  mill,  on  the  farm,  or  in  the 
laundry.  They  were  a  most  earnest  set.  I  soon 


72  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

gave  them  the  name  of  the  "Plucky  Class." 
Several  of  the  members  of  this  "Plucky  Class" 
now  fill  prominent  and  useful  positions.  While 
I  was  teaching  I  was  given  lessons  in  advanced 
subjects  by  Dr.  H.  B.  Frissell,  who  was  then 
chaplain,  but  who  is  now  the  honored  and  suc 
cessful  successor  of  Gen.  Armstrong,  as  well  as 
by  others. 

About  the  time  the  night  class  was  organized 
at  Hampton,  Indians  for  the  first  time  were  per 
mitted  to  enter  the  institution.  The  second  year 
that  I  worked  at  Hampton,  in  connection  with 
other  duties,  I  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Indian 
boys,  who  at  that  time  numbered  about  seventy- 
five,  I  think.  I  lived  in  their  cottage  with  them 
and  looked  after  all  their  wants.  I  grew  to  like 
the  Indians  very  much  and  placed  great  faith  in 
them.  My  daily  experience  with  them  convinced 
me  that  the  main  thing  that  any  oppressed  people 
needed  was  a  chance  of  the  right  kind  and  they 
would  cease  to  be  savages. 

At  the  end  of  my  second  year  at  Hampton  as 
a  teacher,  in  1881,  there  came  a  call  from  the 
little  town  of  Tuskegee,  Alabama,  to  Gen.  Arm 
strong  for  some  one  to  organize  and  become  the 
Principal  of  a  Normal  School,  which  the  people 
wanted  to  start  in  that  town.  The  letter  to  Gen. 
Armstrong  was  written  on  behalf  of  the  colored 
people  of  the  town  of  Tuskegee  by  Mr.  Geo.  W. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  73 

Campbell,  one  of  the  foremost  white  citizens  of 
Tuskegee.  Mr.  Campbell  is  still  the  president  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Tuskegee  Normal 
and  Industrial  Institute,  and  has  from  the  first 
been  one  of  its  warmest  and  most  steadfast  friends. 
When  Mr.  Campbell  wrote  to  Gen.  Armstrong 
he  had  in  mind  the  securing  of  a  white  man  to 
take  the  principalship  of  the  school.  Gen.  Arm 
strong  replied  that  he  knew  of  no  suitable  white 
man  for  the  position,  but  that  he  could  recom 
mend  a  colored  man.  Mr.  Campbell  wrote  in 
reply  that  a  competent  colored  man  would  be 
acceptable.  Gen.  Armstrong  asked  me  to  give 
up  my  work  at  Hampton  and  go  to  Tuskegee  in 
answer  to  this  call.  I  decided  to  undertake  the 
work,  and  after  spending  a  few  days  at  my  old 
home  in  Maiden,  West  Virginia,  I  proceeded  to 
the  town  of  Tuskegee,  Alabama* 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  WORK  AT  TUSKEGEE. 

Before  starting  for  Tuskegee  I  found  it  almost 
impossible  to  find  the  town  on  any  map,  and 
had  difficulty  in  learning  its  exact  location.  I 
reached  Tuskegee  about  the  middle  of  June, 
1 88 1.  I  found  it  to  be  a  town  of  some  2,000 
inhabitants,  about  half  of  whom  were  Negroes, 
and  located  in  what  is  commonly  called  the 
"Black  Belt,"  that  is,  the  section  of  the  South 
where  the  Negro  race  largely  outnumbers  the 
white  population.  The  county  in  which  Tuske 
gee  is  located  is  named  Macon.  Of  Tuskegee 
and  Macon  County  I  prefer  to  quote  the  words 
of  Maj.  W.  W.  Screws,  the  editor  of  the  "Mont 
gomery  (Alabama)  Daily  Advertiser,"  who  vis 
ited  Tuskegee  in  1898,  seventeen  years  after  the 
Tuskegee  Institute  was  founded.  Maj.  Screws 
says : 

"Just  at  this  time  there  is  probably  no  place  in 
the  United  States,  of  similar  size,  so  well  known 
to  the  people  of  the  country,  as  this  lovely  little 
city.  It  has  always  possessed  merits  which 
brought  it  conspicuously  before  Alabamians,  for 
in  every  locality  in  this  and  many  Southern 

75 


76  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

States,  are  noble  men  and  women  who  received 
their  educational  training  here. 

"Thomas  S.  Woodward  was  one  of  the  earliest 
white  settlers  in  Macon  County,  and  was  one  of 
the  commissioners  appointed  to  lay  off  the  site 
for  the  court  house.  He  built  the  first  house  in 
the  new  town,  which  they  called  Tuskekee,  a 
corruption  of  the  old  Indian  name,  Tuskigi, 
which  is  said  by  Dr.  Gatschet  to  be  a  contrac 
tion  pf  Taskialgi  (warriors).  The  old  Indian 
town  stood  in  the  fork  of  the  Coosa  and  was 
the  home,  part  of  the  time,  of  the  famous  half- 
breed  statesman,  Alexander  McGillivray.  The 
name  passed  in  its  present  form  to  the  county 
seat  of  the  new  county. 

"Tuskegee  was  settled  by  men  who  were  well 
to  do  in  a  material  point  of  view.  They  owned 
rich  lands  on  the  creeks  and  streams  and  in  the 
prairie  section  of  the  county.  This  point  is  on  a 
high,  dry  ridge,  and  from  time  immemorial  has 
been  noted  for  its  healthfulness.  Here  came 
those  who  wished  to  build  homes  for  their  fam 
ilies,  to  have  congenial  company  and  *to  give 
their  children  educational  advantages.  They  did 
not  desire  the  projectors  of  the  Montgomery  and 
West  Point  Railroad  to  put  the  town  on  its 
route,  because  of  the  interruption  it  was  feared 
would  be  occasioned  to  the  schools.  From  the 
very  beginning  of  its  existence,  education  has 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  77 

been  the  main  feature  of  Tuskegee,  and  through 
its  schools  and  colleges  a  population  gathered 
here  which  has  never  been  excelled  in  point  of 
refinement,  politeness  and  all  the  gentle  ameni 
ties  which  tend  to  make  life  comfortable. 

"The  town  of  Tuskegee  was  first  settled 
about  1830.  James  Dent  built  the  first  house. 
The  town  was  first  laid  out  in  1833.  Mr.  G.  W. 
Campbell  came  to  the  county  with  his  father 
from  Montgomery  in  1835,  and  at  that  time 
perhaps  150  people  were  in  and  about  what  now 
comprises  Tuskegee's  territorial  limits.  There 
was  no  court  house  building,  and  court  sessions 
were  held  in  a  small  log  house  with  a  dirt  floor. 
When  court  was  not  in  session  the  building  was 
used  as  a  school  house.  The  Creek  Indians 
were  in  great  numbers  in  the  neighborhood,  but 
they  were  friendly  and  peaceful,  and  in  1836 
commenced  to  move  to  their  far  Western  home, 
going  overland  to  Montgomery,  where  they 
took  steamer  for  New  Orleans.  Tuskegee  is  one 
of  the  model  towns  in  the  way  of  good  order. 

"Among  the  white  settlers  here  are  Dr.  W.  J. 
Gautier,  and  Messrs.  G.  W.  Campbell,  J.  W.  Bil- 
bro,  J.  O.  A.  Adams  and  W.  H.  Wright.  They 
have  a  perfect  wealth  of  interesting  reminiscence 
connected  with  the  early  days  of  all  East  Ala 
bama.  Although  they  have  passed  the  three  score 
years,  they  are  hale,  healthy  men,  engaged  in 


78  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

.  business,  and  set  a  splendid  example  of  energy  and 
active  life  to  the  younger  generation.  The  firm 
of  Campbell  &  Wright  has  been  in  existence,  pos 
sibly,  longer  than  any  other  in  Alabama. 

"  The  Montgomery  and  West  Point  Railroad  is 
about  five  miles  distant  from  Tuskegee,  the  near 
est  station  being  Chehaw.  From  there  to  Tuske 
gee,  until  about  twenty  years  ago,  the  usual  mode 
of  conveyance  for  passengers  and  baggage  was 
stage  coach  and  omnibus,  while  all  goods  were 
transported  by  wagon.  It  was  a  tiresome, 
troublesome  and  expensive  method.  This  diffi 
culty  has  been  overcome  through  the  Tuskegee 
Railroad  which  now  connects  the  two  points. 

"  The  population  of  Macon  County  before  1860, 
was  largely  heavy  landed  proprietors.  They  suf 
fered  immensely  by  the  results  of  the  war  from 
disorganized  labor,  and  reverses  stripped  them  of 
much  of  their  property.  The  county  is  almost 
exclusively  agricultural,  and  the  average  yield 
year  by  year,  of  corn,  cotton,  peas,  potatoes  and 
other  things  grown  on  well  regulated  farms,  is 
fairly  good." 

When  I  reached  Tuskegee,  I  found  that  Mr. 
Lewis  Adams,  a  colored  man  of  great  intelligence 
and  thrift,  who  was  born  a  slave  near  Tuskegee, 
had  first  started  the  movement  to  have  some  kind 
of  Normal  School  in  Tuskegee  for  the  education 
of  colored  youth.  At  the  time  he  conceived  this 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  79 

idea  Hon.  W.  F.  Foster  and  Hon.  A.  L.  Brooks, 
both  white  Democrats,  were  members  of  the 
Alabama  Legislature,  and  Mr.  Adams  so  inter 
ested  them  in  the  movement  that  they  prom 
ised  to  use  their  influence  in  the  Legislature 
to  secure  an  annual  appropriation  of  $2,000 
toward  the  expenses  of  a  Normal  School,  provided 
one  could  be  properly  organized  and  started. 
Messrs.  Foster  and  Brooks  were  successful  in 
their  efforts  to  secure  the  appropriation,  which  was 
limited  in  its  use  to  helping  to  pay  teachers.  A 
Board  of  three  Commissioners  was  appointed  to 
control  the  expenditure  of  this  $2,000.  When 
the  school  was  first  started  this  board  consisted 
of  Mr.  Geo.  W.  Campbell,  Mr.  M.  B.  Swanson 
and  Mr.  Lewis  Adams.  After  the  death  of  Mr. 
Swanson,  Mr.  C.  W.  Hare  was  elected  in  his 
stead. 

When  I  reached  Tuskegee,  the  only  thing  that 
had  been  done  toward  the  starting  of  a  school 
was  the  securing  of  the  $2,000.  There  was  no 
land,  building,  or  apparatus.  I  opened  the  school, 
however,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1881,  in  an  old 
church  and  a  little  shanty  that  was  almost  ready 
to  fall  down  from  decay.  On  the  first  day  there 
was  an  attendance  of  thirty  students,  mainly 
those  who  had  been  engaged  in  teaching  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  vicinity.  I  remember  that, 
during  the  first  months  I  taught  in  this  little 


80  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

shanty,  it  was  in  such  a  dilapidated  condition 
that,  whenever  it  rained,  one  of  the  larger  pupils 
would  very  kindly  cease  his  lessons  and  hold  the 
umbrella  over  me  while  I  heard  the  recitations. 
But  these  little  buildings,  as  inadequate  as  they 
were,  were  most  gladly  furnished  by  the  colored 
people,  who  from  the  first  day  that  I  went  to 
Tuskegee  to  the  present  Jtime  have  done  every 
thing  within  their  power  to  further  the  interests 
of  the  school. 

One  curious  thing  that  happened  in  connection 
with  the  students  was,  as  additional  pupils  began 
to  come  in,  some  of  them  had  been  attending 
schools  taught  by  some  of  those  who  came  to  the 
Tuskegee  school,  and,  in  several  cases,  it  hap 
pened  that  former  pupils  entered  higher  classes 
than  their  former  teachers. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  FIRST  YEAR  AT  TUSKEGEE. 

After  the  school  had  been  in  session  in  the  old 
church  and  little  shanty  for  several  months,  I 
began  to  see  the  necessity  of  having  a  permanent 
location  for  the  institution,  where  we  could  have 
the  students  not  only  in  their  class  rooms,  but  get 
hold  of  them  in  their  home  life,  and  teach  them 
how  to  take  care  of  their  bodies  in  the  matter  of 
bathing,  care  of  the  teeth,  and  in  general  cleanli 
ness.  We  also  felt  that  we  must  not  only  teach 
the  students  how  to  prepare  their  food  but  how 
to  serve  and  eat  it  properly.  So  long  as  we  only 
had  the  students  a  few  hours  in  the  class  room 
during  the  day  we  could  give  attention  to  none  of 
these  important  matters,  which  oSr  students  had 
not  had  an  opportunity  of  learning  before  leaving 
their  homes.  Few  of  the  students  who  came 
during  the  first  year  were  able  to  remain  during 
the  nine  months7  session  for  lack  of  money, 
so  we  felt  the  necessity  of  having  industries 
where  the  students  could  pay  a  part  of  their 
board  in  cash.  It  was  rather  noticeable  that,  not 
withstanding  the  poverty  of  most  of  the  students 
who  came  to  us  in  the  earlier  months  of  the  in- 

81 


82  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

stitution,  most  of  them  had  the  idea  of  getting  an 
education  in  order  that  they  might  find  some 
method  of  living  without  manual  labor ;  that  is, 
they  had  the  feeling  that  to  work  with  the  hands 
was  not  conducive  to  being  of  the  highest  type 
of  lady  or  gentleman.  This  feeling  we  wanted 
to  change  as  fast  as  possible  by  teaching  students 
the  dignity,  beauty  and  civilizing  power  of 
intelligent  labor. 

After  a  few  months  had  passed  by,  I  wrote 
Gen.  J.  F.  B.  Marshall,  at  that  time  treasurer  of 
the  Hampton  Institute,  and  put  our  condition 
before  him,  telling  him  that  there  was  an 
abandoned  farm  about  a  mile  from  the  town  of 
Tuskegee  in  the  market  which  I  could  secure  at 
a  very  cheap  price  for  our  institution.  As  I  had 
absolutely  no  money  with  which  to  make  the  first 
payment  on  the  farm,  I  summoned  the  courage  to 
ask  Gen.  Marshall  to  lend  me  $500  with  which 
to  make  the  first  payment.  To  my  surprise  a 
letter  came  back  in  a  few  days  enclosing  a  check 
for  $500.  A  contract  was  made  for  the  purchase 
of  the  farm,  which  at  that  time  consisted  of  100 
acres.  Subsequent  purchases  and  gifts  of 
adjacent  lands  have  increased  the  number  of 
acres  at  this  place  to  700,  and  this  is  the  present 
site  of  the  Tuskegee  Institute.  This  has  again 
been  enlarged  from  time  to  time  by  purchases 
and  gifts  of  land  not  adjacent  until  at  present 


A  GROUP    OF    MR.  WASHINGTON'S   WARM   FRIENDS   AND 
SUPPORTERS. 


Hresfctenf  W^TT.  HARPER 

I— . » — f t—T^^I'lf.  jl!lv* — *-~»^ 


DISTINGUISHED  AMERICANS  WHO  HAVE  INTRODUCED  MR. 
WASHINGTON  ON  PUBLIC  OCCASIONS. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  -  85 

the  school  owns  farm  lands  to  the  number  of 
2,460  acres. 

After  the  school  had  been  in  session  three 
months,  Miss  Olivia  A.  Davidson,  a  graduate  of 
the  Hampton  Institute  and  later  a  graduate  of 
the  Framingham,  Mass.,  Normal  School,  was 
employed  as  an  assistant  teacher. 

Miss  Davidson  was  teaching  among  her  people 
near  Memphis,  Tennessee,  in  1879,  when  the  yellow 
fever  drove  her  away.  She  went  to  Hampton, 
entered  the  senior  class  and  graduated  the  follow 
ing  spring.  She  did  not  go  to  Hampton,  how 
ever,  until  her  application  to  return  to  Memphis 
to  help  nurse  the  yellow  fever  patients  had  been 
refused  by  the  authorities  there.  Through  friends 
she  was  able  to  enter  the  Normal  School  at  Fram 
ingham,  Massachusetts,  and  graduated  in  the 
summer  of  1881;  and,  when  an  assistant  at  Tus- 
kegee  was  called  for,  she  accepted  the  work. 
Her  enthusiasm  had  won  the  admiration  of  her 
schoolmates,  and  from  them  she  received  much 
assistance  for  the  school  at  Tuskegee  in  after 
years. 

The  success  of  the  school,  especially  during  the 
first  half  dozen  years  of  its  existence,  was  due 
more  to  Miss  Davidson  than  any  one  else.  Dur 
ing  the  organization  of  the  school  and  in  all  mat 
ters  of  discipline  she  was  the  one  to  bring  order 
out  of  every  difficulty.  When  the  last  effort  had 


86  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

apparently  been  exhausted  and  it  seemed  that 
things  must  stop,  she  was  the  one  to  find  a  way  out. 
Not  only  was  this  true  at  the  school,  but  when  a 
campaign  for  money  had  ended  unsuccessfully, 
she  would  hie  away  North  and  money  was  sure 
to  be  found. 

Our  hardest  struggle  began  after  we  had  made 
the  first  payment  on  the  farm.  We  not  only  had 
to  secure  the  money  within  a  few  months  with 
which  to  repay  Gen.  Marshall's  loan,  but  had  to 
get  the  means  with  which  to  meet  future  pay 
ments,  and  also  to  erect  a  building  on  the  farm. 
Miss  Davidson  went  among  the  white  and  col 
ored  families  in  Tuskegee  and  told  them  our  plans 
and  needs,  and  there  were  few  of  either  race  who 
did  not  contribute  either  something  in  cash  or 
something  that  could  be  turned  into  cash  at  the 
many  festivals  and  fairs  which  were  held  for  the 
purpose  of  raising  money  to  help  the  school.  In 
many  cases  the  white  ladies  in  Tuskegee  contrib 
uted  chickens  or  cakes  that  were  sold  for  the 
benefit  of  our  new  enterprise.  I  ,do  not  believe 
that  there  was  a  single  Negro  family  or  scarcely 
an  individual  in  Tuskegee  or  its  vicinity  that  did 
not  contribute  something  in  money  or  in  kind  to 
the  school.  These  contributions  were  most  gladly 
made  and  often  at  a  great  sacrifice. 

Perhaps  I  might  as  well  say  right  here  that  one 
of  the  principal  things  which  made  it  easy  to  start 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  87 

such  a  school  as  now  exists  near  the  town  of  Tus- 
kegee  was  the  fact  that  Tuskegee  is  inhabited  by 
some  of  the  most  cultured  and  liberal  white  peo 
ple  to  be  found  in  any  portion  of  the  South.  I 
have  been  into  a  good  many  Southern  towns,  but 
I  think  I  have  never  seen  one  where  the  general 
average  of  culture  and  intelligence  is  so  high  as 
that  of  the  people  of  Tuskegee.  We  have  in  this 
town  and  its  surroundings  a  good  example  of  the 
friendly  relations  that  exist  between  the  two  races 
when  both  races  are  enlightened  and  educated. 
Not  only  are  the  white  people  above  the  average, 
but  the  same  is  true  of  the  general  intelligence 
and  acquirements  of  the  colored  people. 

The  leading  colored  citizen  in  Tuskegee  is  Mr. 
Lewis  Adams,  to  whom  the  honor  should  largely 
be  given  for  securing  the  location  of  the  Tuske 
gee  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute  in  the  town. 
Mr.  Adams  is  not  only  an  intelligent  and  success 
ful  business  man,  but  is  one  who  combines  with 
his  business  enterprise  rare  common  sense  and 
discretion.  In  the  most  trying  periods  of  the 
growth  of  the  Tuskegee  Institute  I  have  always 
found  Mr.  Adams  a  man  on  whom  I  could  rely 
for  the  wisest  advice.  He  enjoys  the  highest 
respect  and  confidence  of  the  citizens  of  both 
races,  and  it  is  largely  through  his  power  and 
influence  that  the  two  races  live  together  in  har 
mony  and  peace  in  the  town. 


88  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK 

After  we  had  raised  all  the  money  we  could  in 
Tuskegee  for  the  purpose  of  paying  for  the  farm 
and  putting  up  the  new  building,  Miss  Davidson 
went  to  Boston,  where  she  had  many  friends  and 
acquaintances,  and  after  some  months  of  hard 
work  she  secured  enough  money  with  which  to 
complete  the  payment  on  the  farm  and  return  Gen. 
Marshall's  loan.  In  addition  she  secured  means 
to  complete  the  payment  on  our  first  building, 
Porter  Hall.  Our  first  building  was  named  after 
Mr.  H.  A.  Porter,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  who  was 
instrumental  in  assisting  us  to  secure  the  largest 
gifts  for  its  erection. 

All  the  while  the  farm  was  being  paid  for  we 
were  holding  school  daily  in  the  old  church  and 
shanty.  The  latter  at  least  was  well  ventilated. 
There  was  one  thickness  of  boards  above  and 
around  us,  and  this  was  full  of  large  cracks.  Part 
of  the  windows  had  no  sashes  and  were  closed 
with  rough  wooden  shutters  that  opened  upward 
by  leather  hinges.  Other  windows  had  sashes 
but  little  glass  in  them.  Through  all  these  open 
ings  the  hot  sun  or  cold  wind  and  rain  came  pour 
ing  in  upon  us.  Many  a  time  a  storm  would 
leave  scarcely  a  dry  spot  in  either  of  the  two 
rooms  into  which  the  shanty  was  divided  to  make 
room  for  separate  classes.  These  rooms  were 
small,  but  into  them  large  classes  of  thirty  or 
forty  had  to  be  crowded  for  recitations.  More 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  89 

than  once  I  remember  that  when  Miss  Davidson 
and  I  were  hearing  recitations  and  the  rain  would 
begin  pouring  down,  one  of  the  larger  pupils 
would  very  kindly  cease  his  lessons  and  come  and 
hold  an  umbrella  over  us  so  that  we  could  hear 
the  recitations.  I  also  remember  that  at  our 
boarding  place  on  several  occasions  when  it 
rained  while  we  were  eating  our  meals  our  good 
landlady  would  kindly  get  an  umbrella  and  hold 
it  over  us  while  we  were  eating. 

During  the  summer  of  1882,  at  the  end  of  our 
first  year's  work,  I  was  married  to  Miss  Fannie 
N.  Smith,  of  Maiden,  West  Virginia,  and  we  be 
gan  housekeeping  in  Tuskegee  early  in  the  fall. 
This  made  a  home  for  our  teachers  who  had  now 
been  increased  to  four  in  number.  She  was  also 
a  graduate  of  the  Hampton  Institute.  After  ear 
nest,  and  constant  work  in  the  interest  of  the 
school,  together  with  her  housekeeping  duties, 
she  passed  away  in  May,  1884.  One  child,  Por 
tia  M.  Washington,  was  born  during  our  mar 
riage.  From  the  first  she  most  earnestly  de 
voted  her  thought  and  time  to  the  work  of  the 
school,  and  was  completely  one  with  me  in  every 
interest  and  ambition.  She  passed  away,  how 
ever,  before  she  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
what  the  school  was  designed  to  be. 

The  following  account  of  her  death  is  taken 


90  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

from  the  Alumni  Journal,  published  at  the  time  at 
Hampton : 

"The  numerous  friends  of  Mr.  B.  T.  Washing 
ton  will  be  pained  to  learn  of  the  death  of  his 
beloved  wife,  Mrs.  Fannie  (Smith)  Washington, 
class  of  '82,  which  occurred  at  Tuskegee,  Ala 
bama,  Sunday,  May  4th. 

u  Her  death  is  indeed  a  serious  bereavement  to 
Mr.  Washington,  whose  acquaintance  and  regard 
for  the  deceased  had  begun  in  their  childhood. 
Their  happy  union  had  done  much  to  lighten  the 
arduous  duties  devolving  upon  him  in  the  man 
agement  of  his  school.  To  his  friends  he  had 
several  times  expressed  the  great  comfort  his 
family  life  was  to  him. 

"We  know  that  all  our  readers  will  join  us  in 
extending  to  him  the  warmest  sympathy  in  this 
sad  hour. 

"  A  bright  little  girl,  not  a  year  old,  is  left  to 
sustain  with  her  father  a  loss  which  she  can  never 
know." 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE   STRUGGLES   AND   SUCCESS   OF  THE  WORKERS 
AT  TUSKEGEE  FROM  1882  TO  1884. 

Soon  after  securing  possession  of  the  farm  we 
set  about  putting  it  into  a  condition  so  that  a 
crop  of  some  kind  might  be  secured  from  it 
during  the  next  year.  At  the  close  of  school 
hours  each  afternoon,  I  would  call  for  volunteers 
to  take  their  axes  and  go  into  the  woods  to 
assist  in  clearing  up  the  grounds.  The  students 
were  most  anxious  to  give  their  service  in  this 
way,  and  very  soon  a  large  acreage  was  put  into 
condition  for  cultivation.  We  had  no  horse  or 
mule  with  which  to  begin  the  cultivation  of  the 
farm.  Mr.  George  W.  Campbell,  however,  the 
president  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  very  kindly 
gave  us  a  horse  which  was  well  along  in  years. 
This  was  the  first  animal  that  the  school  ever 
possessed.  On  the  farm  there  was  an  old  build 
ing  that  had  formerly  been  used  as  a  stable, 
another  that  had  been  used  as  a  chicken  coop, 
and  still  a  third  that  had  been  used  as  a  kitchen 
during  ante-bellum  days.  All  of  these  three 
buildings  or  shanties  were  duly  repaired  and 
made  to  do  service  as  class-rooms,  dormitories, 
etc. 


94  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

We  had  our  first  services  in  Porter  Hall  on 
Thanksgiving  Day,  1882.  -Rev.  R.  C.  Bedford, 
who  was  then  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
Church  in  Montgomery,  and  who  has  since  been 
one  of  our  trustees  and  warmest  friends, 
preached  the  Thanksgiving  sermon.  This  was 
the  first  Thanksgiving  service  I  think  that  was 
ever  held  in  the  town  of  Tuskegee,  and  a  joyous 
one  it  was  to  the  people. 

By  the  middle  of  the  second  year's  work  the 
existence  of  the  school  had  begun  to  be  adver 
tised  pretty  thoroughly  through  the  state  of 
Alabama  and  even  in  some  of  the  adjoining 
states.  This  brought  to  us  an  increasing  num 
ber  of  students,  and  the  problem  as  to  what  to 
do  with  them  was  becoming  a  serious  one.  We 
put  the  girls  who  did  not  live  in  town  on  the 
third  floor  of  Porter  Hall. to  sleep.  The  boys  we 
scattered  around  in  whatever  places  we  were  able 
to  secure.  In  order  to  secure  a  dining  room, 
kitchen  and  laundry,  to  be  used  by  the  boarding 
department,  our  young  men  volunteered  to  dig 
out  the  basement  under  Porter  Hall,  which  was 
soon  bricked  up  and  made  to  answer  its  purpose 
very  well.  Old  students,  however,  who  to-day 
return  to  Tuskegee  and  see  the  large  new  dining 
room,  kitchen,  and  laundry  run  by  steam,  are 
very  much  interested  in  noting  the  change  and 
contrast. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHING-TON.  95 

Sometimes  during  the  winter  of  the  second 
year  of  the  school,  we  were  compelled  to  put 
large  numbers  of  young  men  in  shanties  or  huts 
to  sleep,  where  there  was  almost  no  protection 
from  rain  and  cold  weather.  Often  during  the 
very  cold  nights  I  have  gone  into  the  rooms  of 
these  students  at  midnight  to  see  how  they  were 
getting  along,,  and  have  found  them  sitting  up  by 
the  fire,  with  blankets  wrapped  about  then},  as 
the  only  method  of  keeping  warm.  One  morn 
ing,  when  I  asked  at  the  opening  exercises  how 
many  had  been  frost-bitten  during  the  cold 
weather,  not  less  than  ten  hands  went  up.  The 
teachers  were  not  surprised  at  this.  Still,  not 
withstanding  these  inconveniences  and  hardships, 
I  think  I  never  heard  a  complaint  from  the  lips 
of  a  single  student.  They  always  seemed  filled 
with  gratitude  for  the  opportunity  to  go  to  school 
under  any  circumstances. 

Very  early  in  the  history  of  the  school  we 
made  it  a  rule  that  no  student,  however  well  off 
he  might  be,  was  to  be  permitted  to  remain 
unless  he  did  some  work,  in  addition  to  taking 
studies  in  the  academic  department.  At  first 
quite  a  number  of  students  and  a  large  number  of 
parents  did  not  like  this  rule;  in  fact,  during  the 
first  three  or  four  years,  a  large  proportion  of  the 
students  brought  either  verbal  or  written  mes 
sages  from  their  parents  that  they  wanted  their 


£6  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

children  taught  books,  but  did  not  want  them 
taught  work.  Notwithstanding  these  protests, 
we  still  stuck  to  our  rule.  As  the  years  went  on 
and  as  the  students  and  parents  began  to  see  and 
appreciate  the  value  of  our  industrial  teaching, 
these  protests  grew  less  frequent  and  less  strong. 
It  is  a  sufficient  explanation  to  say  in  regard  to 
this  matter  that  it  has  been  ten  years  since  a 
single  objection  has  been  raised  by  parents  or 
students  against  anyone's  taking  part  in  our  indus 
trial  work.  In  fact,  there  is  a  positive  enthusiasm 
among  parents  and  students  over  our  industrial 
work,  and  we  are  compelled  to  refuse  admission 
to  hundreds  every  year  who  wish  to  prepare 
themselves  to  take  up  industrial  pursuits.  If  we 
had  the  room  and  the  means  we  could  give  indus 
trial  training  to  a  much  larger  number  of  students 
than  are  now  receiving  it.  The  main  burden  of 
the  letters  which  now  come  from  parents  is  that 
each  wants  his  daughter  or  son  taught  some  in 
dustry  or  trade  in  connection  with  the  academic 
branches.  I  also  remember,  during  the  early 
history  of  this  institution,  that  students  coming 
here  who  had  to  pass  through  the  larger  cities, 
or  pass  in  the  vicinity  of  other  institutions,  had 
the  finger  of  scorn  pointed  at  them  because  they 
were  going  to  a  school  where  it  was  understood 
that  one  had  to  labor.  At  the  present  time,  how 
ever,  this  feeling  is  so  completely  changed  that 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  97 

there  is  almost  no  portion  of  the  South  where 
there  is  any  objection  brought  against  industrial 
education  of  the  Negro  on  the  part  of  the  colored 
people  themselves.  On  the  other  hand,  the  feel 
ing  in  favor  of  it  is  strong  and  most  enthusiastic. 

Almost  from  the  first  I  determined  to  have  the 
students  do  practically  all  the  work  of  putting 
up  the  buildings  and  carrying  on  the  various  de 
partments  of  the  institution.  Many  of  our  best 
friends,  however,  doubted  the  practicability  of 
this,  but  I  insisted  that  it  could  be  done.  I  held 
that  while  the  students  at  first  might  make  very 
poor  bricks  and  do  poor  brick-masonry,  the  lesson 
of  self-help  would  be  more  valuable  to  them  in 
the  long  run  than  if  they  were  put  into  a  build 
ing  which  had  been  wholly  the  creation  of  the 
generosity  of  some  one  else.  By  the  end  of  the 
third  year  the  number  of  students  had  increased 
from  30,  with  which  we  began,  to  169;  most  of 
them,  however,  coming  from  nearby  counties  and 
other  sections  of  Alabama. 

In  February,  1883,  the  State  Legislature  of 
Alabama  increased  the  state  appropriation  for 
the  school  from  two  to  three  thousand  dollars 
annually,  on  recommendation  of  the  State  Super 
intendent  of  Public  Instruction,  Hon.  H.  Clay 
Armstrong.  The  Committee  on  Education  re 
ported  the  bill  unanimously  to  the  House  and  the 
Governor  recommended  its  passage.  As  some 


98  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

of  the  members  were  not  acquainted  with  the 
character  of  the  school  they  raised  objection  to 
this  increase  at  a  time  when,  by  defalcation  of 
the  state  treasurer,  reported  only  the  day  before, 
the  state  had  lost  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars. 
The  Speaker  of  the  House,  Hon.  W.  F.  Foster, 
a  member  from  Tuskegee,  and  an  ex-Confederate 
soldier,  left  the  chair,  and  in  an  eloquent  and 
effective  speech  in  praise  of  the  work  of  the 
school  at  Tuskegee,  urged  the  passage  of  the 
bill.  On  conclusion  of  Col.  Foster's  speech  the 
bill  passed  by  a  large  majority  vote.  Col.  Foster 
not  only  interested  himself  in  the  passage  of  the 
first  bill  which  gave  support  from  the  state  to 
this  institution,  but  has  been  one  of  the  warmest 
and  most  helpful  friends  from  that  time  until  the 
present.  • 

In  reference  to  the  passage  of  the  bill  for  an 
increased  appropriation  for  the  school,  Rev.  R. 
C.  Bedford,  at  that  time  residing  in  Montgomery 
as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church,  wrote  to 
Gen.  Armstrong  as  follows: 
"Gen.  S.  C.  Armstrong,  Dear  Sir: — 

UA  short  time  ago  I  made  a  trip  to  Tuskegee, 
Ala,,  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  the  State  Nor 
mal  School  for  colored  people  located  there,  four 
of  whose  five  teachers,  together  with  the  wife  of 
the  Principal,  were  once  pupils  of  yours  at 
Hampton  Institute.  I  attended  the  session  of  the 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  99 

school  for  two  days  and  was  exceedingly  pleased 
with  the  enthusiastic  spirit  of  both  teachers  and 
pupils.  One  of  the  encouraging  features  of  the 
school  is  the  warm  interest  it  has  inspired  in 
many  of  the  leading  white  citizens  of  Tuskegee. 
Mr.  G.  W.  Campbell  and  Mr.  Wm.  B.  Swanson 
are  among  the  oldest  and  most  respected  citizens 
of  Macon  County.  They  with  Mr.  Lewis 
Adams,  a  prominent  colored  man,  constitute  the 
State  Board  of  Commissioners  for  the  school. 
Col.  Bowen,  Mr.  Varner,  and  Col.  W.  F.  Foster, 
speaker  of  the  present  Legislature,  all  citizens  of 
Tuskegee  and  familiar  with  the  school,  are  among 
its  warmest  friends.  A  short  time  ago,  in  con 
versation  with  Hon.  H.  Clay  Armstrong,  our 
State  Superintendent  of  Education,  I  learned  that 
he  was  so  much  pleased  with  the  work  of  Mr. 
Washington  and  his  associates  as  to  recommend 
to  the  Committee  on  Education  to  report  a  bill 
giving  $1,000  per  year  additional  to  the  school. 
I  was  present  during  the  debate  on  the  bill.  So 
interested  was  Col.  Foster  in  its  passage  that  he 
left  the  speaker's  chair,  and  upon  the  floor  of  the 
House,  in  an  eloquent  and  effective  speech,  urged 
that  it  pass.  He  sat  down,  and  by  a  vote  of  59 
to  1 8,  the  bill  was  passed;  and  it  is  now  a  law. 

"With  this  example  before  us,  we  need   have 
no  fear  as  to  what  the  colored   people  can  do  if, 


100  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

like  Mr.  Washington  and  his  associates,  they  will 
take  hold  to  win." 

In  April,  1883,  the  school  enjoyed  a  pleasant 
visit  from  Gen.  J.  F.  B.  Marshall,  the  treasurer 
of  Hampton  Institute  and  the  one  who  had  been 
generous  enough  to  lend  us  $500  with  which  to 
make  the  first  payment  on  the  farm.  Gen.  Mar 
shall's  visit  gave  us  the  greatest  hope  and  encour 
agement.  He  wrote  while  at  the  school  to  the 
Southern  Workman,  a  paper  published  at  Hamp 
ton  Institute,  as  follows,  concerning  his  visit: 

"A  few  days'  rest  from  office  duties  being  en 
joined  upon  me  recently,  I  determined  to  pay  a 
visit  to  the  Tuskegee  school,  in  which  the  faculty 
and  teachers  of  Hampton  Institute  naturally  feel 
a  special  interest. 

"The  Tuskegee  farm  contains  140  acres  and 
the  boys  are  at  work  clearing  a  field  for  sugar 
cane,  which  grows  well  here.  They  also  raise 
cotton,  sweet  potatoes,  peaches,  etc.  To  enable 
them  to  train  the  students  properly  they  must 
have  them  board  at  the  school.  A  building  is 
very  much  needed  for  the  accommodation  of  100 
young  men.  Mr.  Washington  says  that  it  will 
cost  $8,000,  if  student  labor  can  be  made  avail 
able  in  its  construction.  For  this  purpose  he 
proposes  to  build  of  brick  made  on  the  farm, 
which  has  excellent  clay.  The  young  men  are 
impatient  to  set  to  work  on  their  building. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  101 

"Tuskegee  is  one  of  the  very  old  towns  in  the 
state,  an  attractive  place  of  about  2500  inhabi 
tants,  having  several  colleges  and  academies  of 
high  repute  for  the  white  youth  of  both  sexes.  I 
was  glad  to  find  a  very  strong  temperance  senti 
ment  here.  There  were  only  two  bars  in  town 
and  they  pay  a  license  of  about  $900  a  year  each. 
No  better  location  could  have  been  chosen. 

"The  leading  white  citizens  of  the  place  appre 
ciate  the  importance  of  Mr.  Washington's  work, 
and  speak  of  him  in  high  terms.  He  has  evident 
ly  won  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  all.  Mr. 
Foster,  the  present  speaker  of  the  House,  in  the 
State  Legislature,  lives  here,  and  rendered  valu 
able  aid  in  getting  the  increased  appropriation  of 
the  state  for  Mr.  Washington,  of  whom  he  spoke 
to  me  in  high  praise. 

"I  am  reminded  by  everything  I  see  here  of 
our  own  beginning  and  methods  at  Hampton.  I 
found  on  my  arrival  at  the  school,  which  is  about 
a  mile  from  the  village  center,  a  handsome  frame 
building  of  two  stories  with  a  mansard  roof. 
Though  not  yet  finished  it  is  occupied  as  a  school 
building  and  is  very  conveniently  planned  for  the 
purpose,  reminding  me  of  the  Academic  Hall  at 
Hampton.  The  primary  school  on  the  Normal 
School  grounds  bears  the  same  relation  to  it  as  a 
practice  school  that  the  Butler  does  to  the  Hamp 
ton  Institute.  It  has  250  on  the  roll.  They  are 


102  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

stored  away  in  what  was  the  stable,  close  as 
crayons  in  a  Waltham  box.  Let  us  hope  they 
will  all  make  their  mark. 

"All  six  teachers  of  the  Normal  and  Training 
Schools  are  colored;  and  to  their  race  belongs  all 
credit  for  the  work  accomplished  here  and  of  the 
judicious  use  of  the  funds  which  the  friends  of  the 
school,  through  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Washington 
and  Miss  Davidson,  have  contributed. 

"The  experiment,  thus  far  so  successful,  is  one 
of  deep  interest  to  all  who  have  the  welfare  of 
the  race  at  heart,  and  should  not  be  suffered  to 
fail  for  want  of  means  for  its  completion.  It  is 
vital  to  the  success  of  this  school  that  the  students 
should  all  be  brought  under  the  training  and 
supervision  of  the  teachers  by  being  boarded  and 
lodged  on  the  premises.  Our  experience  at 
Hampton  has  shown  us  the  necessity  of  this.  I 
know  of  no  more  worthy  object  or  one  conducive 
to  more  important  results  than  this  school  enter 
prise,  and  I  trust  the  friends  of  Negro  advance 
ment  and  education  will  not  suffer  it  to  languish 
or  be  hampered  for  funds.  They  may  rest 
assured  that  these  may  be  wisely  expended  and 
most  worthily  bestowed. 

"My  three  days'  visit  to  Tuskegee  was  emi 
nently  satisfactory  and  has  inspired  me  with  new 
hope  for  the  future  of  the  race." 

The  next  event  in  the  history  of  the  school  was 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  103 

the  celebration  of  its  second  anniversary,  com 
bined  with  the  dedication  of  Porter  Hall,  whose 
corner-stone  had  been  laid  the  year  before.  The 
dedication  address  was  delivered  by  Rev.  Geo, 
L.  Chaney  of  Atlanta,  now  of  Boston,  one  of  the 
Trustees  of  the  school;  and  eloquent  speeches 
were  also  made  by  Rev.  Morgan  Galloway,  the 
associate  in  Emory  College  of  its  president,  Dr. 
Atticus  G.  Haygood,  author  of  "  Our  Brother  in 
Black."  Rev.  Mr.  Owens,  of  Mobile,  also  made 
an  interesting  address. 

During  the  following  summer  a  small  frame 
cottage  with  four  rooms  was  put  up  to  hold  six 
teen  young  men,  and  three  board  shanties  near 
the  grounds  were  rented  containing  accommoda 
tions  for  about  thirty-six  additional  students.  In 
September  a  boarding  department  was  opened  for 
both  sexes,  and  as  many  young  men  as  could  be 
provided  for  gladly  availed  themselves  of  the 
privilege  of  working  out  about  half  of  their  board 
at  the  school. 

.  In  1883  Mr.  Warren  Logan,  a  graduate  of  the 
Hampton  Institute,  who  had  received  special 
training  in  book-keeping  under  Gen.  Marshall  at 
Hampton,  came  to  Tuskegee  as  a  teacher.  He 
had  not  been  here  long,  however,  before  it  was 
clearly  seen  that  he  could  serve  the  school  ef 
fectively  in  another  capacity  as  well  as  a  class 
room  teacher,  and  he  was  soon  given  the  position 


104  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

of  Treasurer  and  book-keeper  in  addition  to  his 
duties  as  a  class  room  teacher.  Mr.  Logan  has 
now  been  connected  with  the  school  16  years, 
and  has  been  its  treasurer  during  13  years  of  this 
time.  In  addition  to  the  position  of  treasurer,  he 
fills  the  position  of  Acting  Principal  in  the  absence 
of  the  Principal.  All  of  these  various  and  deli 
cate  as  well  as  responsible  duties  he  has  per 
formed  with  great  ability  and  satisfaction. 

Mr.  J.  H.  Washington,  my  brother,  came  to 
the  school  from  West  Virginia  in  1885  and  took 
the  position  of  Business  Agent.  He  was  after 
wards  made  Superintendent  of  Industries  and  has 
held  that  position  ever  since.  In  the  meantime 
the  school  has  grown,  and  his  duties  as  well  as 
those  of  Mr.  Logan  have  broadened  and  increased 
in  responsibility.  Both  he  and  Mr.  Logan,  dur 
ing  the  absence  of  the  Principal,  are  in  a  large 
measure  the  mainstay  and  dependence  of  the  in 
stitution  for  counsel  and  wise  direction. 

These  two  men,  Mr.  Logan  and  my  brother 
John,  have  been  from  the  beginning  very  impor 
tant  forces  in  the  school  management.  As 
Treasurer  and  Superintendent  of  Industries  re 
spectively  their  responsibilities  are  heavy,  and 
how  much  credit  they  deserve  will  never  be  fully 
known  till  the  necessity  arises  some  day  to  fill  their 
places.  They,  with  James  N.  Galloway,  a  gradu 
ate  of  Fisk  University,  who  is  the  manager  of 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  105 

Marshall  Farm,  Mr.  G.  W.  Carver,  Director  of 
the  Agricultural  Department,  and  Mr.  M.  T. 
Driver,  Business  Agent,  constitute  the  Finance 
Committee  of  the  Institute,  a  sort  of  cabinet  for 
the  Principal. 

In  September,  1883,  a  very  pleasant  surprise 
came  to  the  workers  in  the  form  of  $1,100,  se 
cured  through  Rev.  R.  C.  Bedford  from  the  Trus 
tees  of  the  Slater  Fund.  I  might  add  right  here 
that  the  interest  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Slater  Fund, 
now  under  the  control  of  Dr.  J.  L.  M.  Curry, 
Special  Agent,  has  continued  from  that  time  until 
this,  so  that  the  institution  now  receives  $11,000 
from  the  Slater  Fund  instead  of  $1,100  at  the  be 
ginning.  With  this  impetus,  a  carpenter  shop 
was  built  and  started,  a  windmill  set  up  to  pump 
water  into  the  school  building,  a  sewing  machine 
bought  for  the  girls'  industrial  room,  mules  and 
wagons  for  the  farm,  and  the  farm  manager's 
salary  was  also  paid  for  nine  months. 

All  during  the  summer,  as  was  true  of  the 
previous  one,  Miss  Davidson  and  myself  had  been 
earnestly  presenting  our  cause  at  the  North  with 
so  much  encouragement  that  the  work  on  the  new 
building,  called  Alabama  Hall,  was  vigorously 
pushed  during  the  fall  and  winter.  In  February, 
1884,  about  three  years  after  the  school  was 
opened,  $5,000  had  been  secured  towards  the 


106  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

erection  of  Alabama  Hall,  which  eventually  cost 
about  $10,000. 

In  March,  1884,  Gen.  Armstrong  did  one  of 
those  generous  things  which  he  was  noted  for  all 
through  his  life.  In  fact,  from  the  beginning  of 
Tuskegee's  life  until  Gen.  Armstrong's  death,  he 
seemed  to  take  as  much  interest  in  the  work  of 
Tuskegee  as  in  the  Hampton  Institute,  and  I  am 
glad  to  say  the  same  generous  spirit  is  con 
stantly  shown  by  the  successor  of  Gen.  Armstrong, 
Dr.  Frissell.  I  received  a  letter  from  Gen.  Arm 
strong  stating  that  he  had  decided  to  hold  a  num 
ber  of  public  meetings  in  such  cities  as  Baltimore, 
Philadelphia,  New  York  and  Boston,  and  wished 
me  to  accompany  him  and  speak  in  the  interest 
of  Tuskegee.  These  meetings  were  advertised 
to  be  in  the  interest  of  Hampton  and  Tuskegee 
jointly,  but  in  reality  they  turned  out  to  be  meet 
ings  in  the  interest  of  Tuskegee,  so  generous  was 
Gen.  Armstrong  in  his  words  and  actions  at  these 
meetings.  The  special  object  aimed  at  in  these 
meetings  was  to  secure  money  with  which  to 
complete  Alabama  Hall. 

I  quote  from  an  address  made  at  one  of  these 
meetings  by  myself:  uOur  young  men  have 
already  made  two  kilns  of  bricks  and  will  make 
all  required  for  the  needed  building,  Alabama 
Hall.  From  the  first  we  have  carried  out  the  plan 
at  Tuskegee  of  asking  help  for  nothing  that  we 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  107 

could  do  for  ourselves.  Nothing  has  been  bought 
that  the  students  can  produce.  The  boys  have 
done  the  painting,  made  the  bricks,  the  chairs; 
tables  and  desks,  have  built  a  stable  and  are  now 
moving  the  carpenter  shop.  The  girls  do  the 
entire  housekeeping,,  including  the  washing,  iron 
ing  and  mending  of  the  boys'  clothing.  Besides, 
they  make  garments  to  sell,  and  give  some  atten 
tion  to  flower  gardening.'7 

In  due  time,  however,  by  hard  work,  the  re 
mainder  of  the  money,  $10,000  in  all,  necessary 
to  complete  Alabama  Hall,  was  secured  in  the 
North,  and  not  a  little  was  gotten  from  friends 
in  and  about  Tuskegee,  especially  through  the 
holding  of  festivals,  etc. 

In  April,  1884,  we  received  a  visit  from  the 
Lady  Principal,  Miss  Mary  F.  Mackie,  of  the 
Hampton  Institute,  who  was  the  first  one  to  re 
ceive  me  when  I  went  to  Hampton  as  a  student. 
I  will  say  here  that,  from  the  visit  of  Gen. 
Marshall  up  to  the  present  time,  we  have  received 
constant  visits  and  encouragement  from  the 
officers  and  teachers  of  the  Hampton  Institute. 
Miss  Mackie,  writing  to  a  friend  at  Hampton, 
said: 

"The  wish  constantly  on  my  lips  or  in  my 
heart,  since  I  reached  here  last  evening,  is  that 
you  could  see  this  school.  I  am  sure  you  would 
feel,  as  I  do,  that  the  dial  of  time  must  have 


108  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

turned  back  twelve  years  in  its  course.  In  many 
respects  it  is  more  like  the  Hampton  I  first  knew 
than  the  one  of  today  is;  I  was  particularly  struck 
with  the  plantation  melodies  which  Mr.  Wash 
ington  called  for  at  the  close  of  the  evening 
prayers;  there  is  more  of  the  real  wail  in  their 
music  than  I  ever  heard  elsewhere.  The  teachers 
here  laugh  over  their  exact  imitation  of  the  alma 
mater;  even  the  night  school  feature  has  sprouted; 
to  be  sure  it  only  numbers  two  students,  but  it  is 
on  the  same  plan  as  ours.  Do  you  know  that  Mr. 

has  lately  given  them  440  acres  of  land, 

making  their  farm  now  580  acres?" 

The  June  number  of  the  Southern  Letter,  a 
little  paper  published  by  the  Institute,  contained 
the  following  account  of  commencement,  which 
took  place  May  29,  1884:  "Many  visitors  were 
present,  white  and  colored.  The  great  interest 
was  in  the  development  of  the  department  of  in 
dustrial  training,  which  now  includes  the  farm,  the 
Slater  carpenter  shop  and  blacksmith  shop,  the 
printing  office,  the  girls 'industrial  room,  and  the 
brick  yard,  where  the  students  were  making 
brick  for  Alabama  Hall.  The  morning  exercises, 
were,  as  usual,  inspection,  recitations  and  review 
of  the  current  news,  and  the  speaker  of  the  after 
noon  was  Prof.  R.  T.  Greener,  of  Washington, 
who  delivered  a  very  practical  and  eloquent  ad- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  109 

dress.  Reporters  were  present  from  Montgomery 
and  Tuskegee." 

In  the  spring  of  1884  I  was  very  pleasantly 
surprised  to  receive  an  invitation  from  the  Presi 
dent  of  the  National  Educational  Association, 
Hon.  Thos.  W.  Bicknall,  of  Boston,  asking  me  to 
deliver  an  address  before  that  body  at  its  next 
meeting  during  the  summer.  The  Association 
assembled  at  Madison,  Wisconsin,  and  I  think  I 
am  safe  in  saying  that  there  were  at  least  five 
thousand  teachers  present,  representing  every 
portion  of  the  United  States.  This  was  the  first 
opportunity  I  had  had  of  presenting  the  work  of 
the  school  to  any  large  audience,  especially  of 
a  national  character.  It  was  rather  late  in  the 
evening  before  my  time  to  speak  came.  Several 
speakers  had  preceded  me,  and  one  especially  had 
proven  himself  to  be  rather  tedious  and  tiresome 
by  his  long  and  rather  unprepared  address,  but 
this  did  not  discourage  me.  I  determined  to 
make  the  best  address  that  I  possibly  could, 
although  I  was  beset  by  fear  and  trembling. 
The  many  kind  words,  however,  which  I  received 
after  my  address  assured  me  that  in  some 
measure  my  effort  had  not  been  a  failure.  Among 
other  things  I  said: 

"I  repeat  that  any  work  looking  toward  the 
permanent  improvement  of  the  Negro  in  the 
South,  must  have  for  one  of  its  aims  the  fitting  of 


110  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

him  to  live  friendly  and  peaceably  with  his  white 
neighbors,  both  socially  and  politically.  In  spite 
of  all  talk  of  exodus  the  Negro's  home  is  per 
manently  in  the  South,  for  coming  to  the  bread 
and  meat  side  of  the  question  the  white  man 
needs  the  Negro  and  the  Negro  needs  the  white 
man.  His  home  being  permanently  in  the  South, 
it  is  our  duty  to  help  him  prepare  himself  to  live 
there,  an  independent,  educated  citizen.  In  order 
that  there  may  be  the  broadest  development  of 
the  colored  man  and  that  he  may  have  an  un 
bounded  field  in  which  to  labor,  the  two  races 
South  must  be  brought  to  have  faith  in  each 
other.  The  teachings  of  the  Negro,  in  various 
ways,  for  the  last  twenty  years,  have  tended  too 
much  to  array  him  against  his  white  brother  rather 
than  to  put  the  races  in  co-operation  with  each 
other.  Thus  Massachussetts  supports  the  Re 
publican  party  because  the  Republican  party  sup 
ports  Massachusetts  with  a  protective  tariff;  but 
the  Negro  supports  the  Republican  party  simply 
because  Massachusetts  does.  When  the  colored 
man  is  educated  up  to  the  point  of  seeing  that 
Alabama  and  Massachusetts  are  a  long  way  apart 
and  the  conditions  of  life  in  them  very  different, 
and  that  if  free  trade  enables  my  white  brother 
across  the  street  to  buy  his  plows  at  a  cheaper 
rate  it  will  enable  me  to  do  the  same  thing,  he 
will  act  in  a  different  way.  More  than  once  I 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  Ill 

have  noticed  that  when  the  whites  were  in  favor 
of  prohibition,  the  blacks,  led  even  by  sober,  up 
right  ministers,  voted  against  prohibition,  simply 
because  the  whites  were  in  favor  of  it,  and  for 
this  reason  the  blacks  said  that  they  knew  it  was 
a  'democratic  trick.'  If  the  whites  vote  to  lay  a 
tax  to  build  a  school  house  it  is  a  signal  for  the 
blacks  to  oppose  the  measure,  simply  because  the 
whites  favor  it.  I  venture  the  assertion  that  the 
sooner  the  colored  man,  South,  learns  that  one 
political  party  is  not  composed  altogether  of 
angels  and  the  other  altogether  of  devils,  and 
that  all  his  enemies  do  not  live  in  his  own  town 
or  neighborhood  and  all  his  friends  in  some  other 
distant  section  of  the  country,  the  sooner  will  his 
educational  advantages  be  enhanced  many  fold. 
But  matters  are  gradually  changing  in  this  re 
spect.  The  black  man  is  beginning  to  find  out 
that  there  are  those  even  among  the  Southern 
whites  who  desire  his  elevation.  The  Negro's 
new  faith  in  the  white  man  is  being  reciprocated 
in  proportion  as  the  Negro  is  rightly  educated. 
The  white  brother  is  beginning  to  learn  by  de 
grees  that  all  Negroes  are  not  liars  and  chicken 
thieves. 

"Now  in  regard  to  what  I  have  said  about  the 
relations  of  the  two  races,  there  should  be  no  un 
manly  cowering  or  stooping  to  satisfy  unreason 
able  whims  of  Southern  white  men;  but  it  is 


112  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

charity  and  wisdom  to  keep  in  mind  the  two 
hundred  years  of  schooling  in  prejudice  against  the 
Negro  which  the  ex-slaveholders  are  called  on 
to  conquer.  A  certain  class  of  whites  object  to 
the  general  education  of  the  colored  man  on  the 
ground  that  when  he  is  educated  he  ceased  to  do 
manual  labor,  and  there  is  no  avoiding  the  fact 
that  much  aid  is  withheld  from  Negro  education 
in  the  South  by  the  states  on  these  grounds. 
Just  here  the  great  mission  of  Industrial  Educa 
tion,  coupled  with  the  mental,  comes  in.  It  kills 
two  birds  with  one  stone,  viz.,  it  secures  the  co 
operation  of  the  whites  and  does  the  best  possible 
thing  for  the  black  man." 

After  this  address  I  began  receiving  invitations 
from  a  good  many  portions  of  the  country  to  de 
liver  addresses  on  the  subject  of  educating  the 
Negro.  At  the  present  time  these  applications 
have  increased  to  such  an  extent,  and  they  come 
in  such  large  numbers,  that,  if  I  were  to  try  to 
answer  even  one-third  of  the  calls  that  come  to 
me  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States  as  well 
as  other  countries,  to  speak,  I  would  scarcely 
spend  a  single  day  at  Tuskegee. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  TUSKEGEE  FROM  1884  TO  1894. 

,a  From  1884  to  1894,  while  comparatively  little 
was  heard  of  the  school  in  the  public  press,  yet 
that  was  a  period  of  constant  and  solid  growth. 
In  1884  the  enrollment  was  169.  In  1894  the 
enrollment  had  increased  to  712,  and  54  officers 
and  teachers  were  employed.  Besides  the 
growth  in  the  number  of  students  and  instruct 
ors,  there  had  also  been  quite  an  increase  in 
the  number  of  buildings,  and  in  every  way  the 
students  were  made  more  comfortable  in  their 
surroundings.  By  1893  we  had  upon  the  school 
grounds  30  buildings  of  various  kinds  and  sizes, 
practically  all  built  by  the  labor  of  the  students. 
Between  1884  an(^  x^94»  I  think,  the  hardest 
work  was  done  in  securing  money.  Regularly, 
during  this  period,  we  were  compelled,  on 
account  of  lack  of  accommodations,  to  refuse 
many  students,  but  very  often  they  would  come 
to  us  under  such  circumstances  that,  though 
lacking  in  accommodations,  we  could  not  have 
the  heart  to  turn  them  away,  especially  after 
they  had  traveled  long  distances,  as  was  true  in 
many  cases.  Students  seemed  willing  to  put  up 

115 


116  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

with  almost  any  kind  of  accommodations  if  they 
were  given  a  chance  to  secure  an  education. 

During  this  period  either  Miss  Davidson  or 
myself,  or  sometimes  both  of  us,  spent  a  great 
deal  of  time  in  the  North  getting  funds  with 
which  to  meet  our  ever  increasing  demands. 
This,  of  course,  was  the  hardest  and  most  trying 
part  of  the  work.  Beginning  early  in  the  morn 
ing  the  day  was  spent  in  seeing  individuals  at 
their  homes  or  in  their  offices;  and,  in  the  even 
ing  and  sometimes  during  the  day,  too,  addresses 
were  delivered  before  churches,  Sunday  Schools, 
or  other  organizations.  On  many  occasions  I 
have  spoken  as  many  as  five  times  at  different 
churches  on  the  same  Sabbath. 

The  large  increase  in  the  number  of  students 
tempted  us  often  to,  put  up  buildings  for  which 
we  had  no  money.  In  the  early  days  of  the 
institution  by  far  the  larger  proportion  of  the 
buildings  were  begun  on  faith.  I  remember  at 
one  time  we  began  a  building  which  cost  in  the 
end  about  $8,000,  and  we  had  only  $200  in  cash 
with  which  to  pay  for  it;  nevertheless  the  build 
ing  was  completed  after  a  hard  struggle  and  is 
now  in  constant  use. 

I  remember  at  one  time  we  were  very 
much  in  need  of  money  with  which  to  meet 
pressing  obligations.  I  borrowed  $400  from  a 
friend  with  the  understanding  that  the  money 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON. 


117 


118  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

must  be  returned  within  thirty  days.  On  the 
morning  of  the  day  that  the  thirty  days  expired 
we  were  without  the  $400  with  which  to  repay 
the  loan  and  were  of  course  very  much  depressed 
in  consequence.  The  mail,  however,  came  in  at 
about  eleven  o'clock  and  brought  a  check  from  a 
friend  for  exactly  $400.  I  could  give  a  number 
of  other  such  instances  illustrating  how  we  were 
relieved  from  embarrassing  circumstances  in  ways 
that  have  always  seemed  to  me  to  have  been 
providential.  Although  the  institution  has  had 
occasion  many  times  to  give  promissory  notes  in 
order  to  meet  its  obligations,  there  has  never  been 
a  single  instance  when  any  of  its  notes  have  gone 
to  protest,  and  its  credit  and  general  financial 
standing  have  always  been  good  with  the  commer 
cial  world.  I  have  felt  deeply  obligated  to  the 
white  and  colored  citizens  of  Tuskegee  for  their 
kindness  in  helping  the  school  financially  when  it 
did  not  have  money  to  meet  its  obligations.  We 
have  never  applied  to  an  individual  or  to  either 
of  the  banks  in  Tuskegee  for  aid  that  we  did  not 
get  it  when  the  banks  or  individuals  were  able  to 
aid  us.  The  banks  have  been  more  than  kind, 
often  seemingly  inconveniencing  themselves  in 
order  to  be  of  service  to  our  institution.  In  the 
earlier  days  of  the  institution,  when  we  had  little 
in  the  way  of  income,  on  several  occasions  I  have 
started  to  the  depot,  when  I  had  to  make  a  jour- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  119 

ney  away  from  Tuskegee,  with  no  money  in  my 
pocket,  but  felt  perfectly  sure  of  meeting  a  friend 
in  the  town  of  Tuskegee  from  whom  I  could  get 
money,  and  I  have  never  been  disappointed  in 
this  respect. 

In  1883  we  received  our  first  donation  of  $500 
from  the  Peabody  Fund  through  Dr.  J.  L.  M. 
Curry,  the  General  Agent.  At  that  time  Dr. 
Curry  formed  his  first  acquaintance  with  Tuske 
gee;  and,  as  I  have  stated  elsewhere,  from  then 
until  now  he  has  been  one  of  our  warmest  and 
most  helpful  friends.  The  amount  received  from 
the  Peabody  Fund  has  since  been  increased  until 
it  now  amounts  to  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred 
dollars  each  year. 

In  connection  with  this  appropriation  from  the 
Peabody  Fund  it  may  be  interesting  to  relate  a 
conversation  which  took  place  between  Dr.  Curry 
and  one  of  the  State  officers  at  Montgomery,  Al 
abama.  The  State  officer  in  question  was  telling 
Dr.  Curry  that  there  were  several  other  schools 
in  the  state  that  needed  help  more  than  Tuske 
gee  did;  and  that,  because  Tuskegee,  through 
the  efforts  of  its  teachers,  was  receiving  money 
from  the  North  and  elsewhere  which  other 
schools  were  not  getting,  he  thought  we  were 
not  entitled  to  help  from  the  Peabody  Fund.  Dr. 
Curry  promptly  replied  that  because  we  were 
making  an  extra  effort  to  get  funds  which  other 


120  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

schools  were  not  getting  was  the  strongest  reason 
why  we  should  be  helped;  in  other  words,  he 
told  the  officer  plainly  that  we  were  trying  to 
help  ourselves  and  for  that  reason  he  wanted  us 
helped  from  the  Peabody  Fund. 

Through  the  constant  efforts  in  the  North  and 
South  of  myself  and  Miss  Davidson,  the  financial 
report  for  the  first  two  years  of  the  school  showed 
that  the  receipts  amounted  to  $11,679.69.  The 
rapid  increase  in  the  growth  of  the  school  and  in 
the  confidence  of  the  people  may  be  shown  by  the 
fact  that,  during  the  third  year  of  the  existence 
of  the  school,  the  receipts  nearly  doubled  them 
selves  as  compared  with  the  second  year;  'we  re 
ceived  the  third  year  the  sum  of  $10,482.78, 
which  was  nearly  as  much  as  we  received  during 
the  two  previous  years.  By  far  the  larger  pro 
portion  of  this  amount  came  in  small  sums;  very 
often  amounts  came  from  individuals  that  were 
as  small  as  50  cents.  One  of  the  things  that  con 
stantly  touched  and  encouraged  us  during  the 
early  years  of  the  school  was  the  deep  interest 
manifested  in  its  success  by  the  old  and  ignorant 
colored  people  in  and  near  the  town  of  Tuskegee. 
They  never  seemed  to  tire  in  their  interest  and 
efforts.  They  were  constantly  trying  to  do  some 
thing  to  help  forward  the  institution.  Whenever 
they  had  a  few  chickens  or  eggs,  for  example,  to 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  121 

spare,  they  would  bring  them  in  and  make  a  pres 
ent  of  them  to  the  school. 

The  income  of  the  institution  for  the  fifth  year 
amounted  to  $20,162.13;  for  the  ninth  year, 
$30,326;  for  the  eleventh  year,  $61,023.28;  for 
the  fourteenth  year,  $79,836.56. 

At  the  end  of  the  third  year  we  were  able  to 
report  that  the  school  owned  property  unencum 
bered  by  debt  that  was  valued  at  $30,000.  Dur 
ing  the  third  year  Alabama  Hall,  to  which  I  have 
already  referred,  was  completed  at  a  cost  of 
$10,000. 

The  report  for  the  fourth  year  of  the  school's 
history  shows  that  we  received  from  all  sources 
$11,146.07.  During  that  year  we  got  into  a  very 
tight  place  financially  and  hardly  knew  which 
way  to  turn  for  relief.  In  the  midst  of  our  per 
plexity,  I  went  to  Gen.  Armstrong  and  he  very 
kindly  loaned  the  school  money  to  help  it  out  of 
its  embarrassment,  although  I  afterwards  learned 
that  it  was  nearly  all  of  the  money  that  he  pos 
sessed  in  cash. 

In  my  fourth  annual  report  to  the  Trustees  I 
used  the  following  words :  "  Greater  attention  has 
been  given  to  the  industrial  department  this  year 
than  ever  before.  Three  things  are  accomplished 
by  the  industrial  system:  (i)  The  student  is 
enabled  to  pay  a  part  of  his  expenses  of  board, 
books,  etc.,  in  labor;  (2)  He  learns  how  to  work; 


122  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

(3)  He  is  taught  the  dignity  of  labor.  In  all  the 
industrial  branches  the  students  do  the  actual 
work  under  the  direction  of  competent  instruc 
tors."  I  have  not  had  occasion  to  change  in  any 
great  degree  the  foregoing  sentences  as  represent 
ing  the  purpose  for  which  Tuskegee  stands. 

During  the  fifth  year  of  our  work  we  were  able 
also  to  add  a  saw  mill,  through  the  generosity  of 
Gen.  J.  F.  B.  Marshall,  to  whom  I  have  already 
referred.  The  addition  of  this  saw  mill  enabled 
us  to  saw  a  large  part  of  the  lumber  used  by  the 
institution. 

In  order  to  give  many  worthy  students  an  op 
portunity  to  secure  an  education  by  working  at 
some  trade  or  industry  during  the  day  and  study 
ing  at  night,  we  opened  in  the  fall  of  1883  our 
our  first  night  school.  The  night  school  was 
opened  with  one  teacher  and  one  student. 
From  this  small  beginning  the  night  school  has 
increased,  until  at  this  writing  there  are  four  hun 
dred  and  fifty  students.  By  working  in  the  day 
and  going  to  school  at  night,  the  night  students 
earn  money  with  which  to  pay  their  expenses  the 
next  year  in  day  school,  and  if  they  bring  a  good 
supply  of  clothing  they  can  earn  enough,  together 
with  what  they  earn  during  vacation,  to  keep 
them  in  school  two  or  three  years  after  they  en 
ter  day  school. 

I  cannot  better  indicate  the  constant  growth 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  123 

of  the  school  than  by  giving  a  description  of  our 
seventh  anniversary,  which  took  place  May  31, 
1888.  There  were  more  than  2,000  people  pres 
ent,  in  spite  of  rain  that  came  in  showers.  Dur 
ing  the  morning,  from  9:30  to  12,  the  regular 
work  of  the  entire  school  was  carried  on  in  the 
various  departments,  which  were  open  for  inspec 
tion.  In  addition  to  the  regular  work,  products 
of  the  shops  and  farm  were  exhibited.  The 
course  of  study  then  extended  over  four  years, 
with  two  preparatory  classes.  It  included  the 
English  branches  for  the  literary  part,  with  in 
struction  in  one  or  more  of  the  following  indus 
tries  throughout :  Blacksmithing,  carpentry,  brick- 
masonry,  brick  making,  plastering,  farming,  stock, 
poultry  and  bee-raising,  saw-milling,  wheelwright- 
ing,  printing,  mattress  and  cabinet  making,  sewing, 
cutting  and  fitting,  washing  and  ironing,  cooking, 
and  general  housekeeping.  From  these  various 
departments  the  following  articles  were  exhibited : 
At  the  blacksmith  and  wheelwright  shop  were 
seen  two  one-horse  wagons,  plow  stock,  small  tools, 
express  wagon  body,  wheelbarrow,  spring  wagon 
seat  and  various  other  articles.  In  the  carpenter 
shop  there  were  wardrobes,  a  center  and  a  leaf 
table,  wash  stands,  book  cases,  bedsteads,  wash 
boards,  picture  frames,  chairs,  paneling,  moulding, 
laths,  etc.  In  the  printing  office  there  was  an 
exhibit  of  the  general  work  of  the  office, — such 


124  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

as  blanks,  checks,  catalogues,  promissory  notes, 
diploma  blanks,  minutes  of  associations  and  con 
ventions,  annual  reports,  bill  and  letter  heads,  en 
velopes,  circulars,  handbills,  invitations,  business 
cards,  certificates,  etc.,  with  samples  of  the  two 
monthly  papers  which  were  then  printed  at  the 
institution,  the  "  Southern  Letter  "  and  "  The 
Gleaner."  From  the  farm  and  poultry  yard, 
there  were  vegetables,  hogs,  cattle,  chickens, 
turkeys,  guineas,  geese,  a  peacock,  eggs,  bees 
and  honey.  Mattress  and  chair  making  were 
features  that  had  been  added  to  the  industries 
that  year  and  were  especially  satisfactory.  The 
mattresses  exhibited  compared  favorably  with 
those  made  anywhere.  In*the  laundry  there  was 
a  tastefully  arranged  exhibit  of  laundried  bedding, 
dresses,  collars  and  cuffs,  shirts,  ladies'  and  gen 
tlemen's  underwear,  table  linen  and  towels.  The 
sewing  room  showed  samples  of  all  kinds  of  ladies', 
gentlemen's  and  children's  clothing,  with  laces, 
matSj  tidies,  etc.  At  the  brickyard  there  was  a 
kiln  of  120,000  bricks  ready  for  burning.  About 
the  saw  "mill  there  were  stacks  of  its  products. 
The  cooking  class  had  a  tempting  display  of  its 
work  in  cakes,  jellies,  bread,  yeast,  meats  and  a 
roast  pig. 

Among  the  first  things  seen  by  a  visitor  com 
ing  to  the  school  from  any  direction  was  a  large 
new  brick  building — Armstrong  Hall.  This  build- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  125 

ing  was  almost  entirely  the  product  of  student 
labor,  under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Brown,  in 
structor  in  carpentry  at  that  time,  who  also 
planned  the  building.  The  school  then  had  three 
large  and  comfortable  buildings.  Porter  Hall 
contained  recitation  rooms,  offices,  library  and 
reading  room,  chapel  and  dormitories  for  boys, 
with  the  school  laundry  in  the  basement.  Ala 
bama  Hall,  with  a  large  frame  annex  built  that 
year,  was  used  for  girls'  dormitories,  and  con 
tained,  in  addition,  teachers'  and  students'  parlors 
and  dining  rooms  and  kitchen.  Armstrong  Hall 
contained  young  men's  dormitories,  reading  and 
sitting  rooms,  bath  room,  printing  office  and  two 
recitation  rooms.  In  addition,  there  were  several 
cottages  on  the  grounds,  while  a  new  one  and  a 
large  barn,  the  latter  to  cost,  perhaps  $2,000, 
were  in  process  of  erection. 

In  the  early  years  of  the  school,  the  anniver 
sary  exercises  were  held  in  the  school  chapel, 
which  was  the  small  chapel  in  Porter  Hall,  but 
from  year  to  year  the  influx  of  patrons  and 
friends  from  far  and  near  had  so  increased  that 
the  chapel  would  nov  longer  hold  a  fifth  of  them. 
That  year  the  vast  audience  of  2,000,  including 
the  400  students,  was  assembled  in  a  rude  pavil 
ion  built  of  rough  timber  and  partly  covered  by 
the  wide  spreading  branches  of  some  mulberry 
trees.  Here,  after  partaking  of  a  substantial  din- 


126  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

ner  furnished  by  the  school  and  friends,  students 
and  visitors  assembled.  A  long  procession  was 
formed  of  students,  teachers  and  graduates,  which 
marched  from  Alabama  Hall  to  the  pavilion  to 
music  furnished  by  the  school  band,  and  there  the 
exercises  of  the  seventh  anniversary  were  held. 

There  were  ten  members  of  the  graduating 
class  of  that  year  as  follows:  Andrew  J.  Wil- 
born,  Valedictorian,  Tuskegee,  Ala.;  Letitia  B. 
Adams,  Tuskegee,  Ala. ;  Caroline  Smith,  Tuske 
gee,  Ala. ;  Shadrach  R.  Marshall,  Talbotton,  Ga. ; 
Philip  P.  Wright,  LaFayette,  Ala.;  William  H. 
Clark,  Brunswick,  Ga.; Eugenia  Lyman,  Opelika, 
Ala.;  Sarah  L.  Hunt,  Salutatorian,  Sparta,  Ga.; 
George  W.  Lovejoy,  Olustee  Creek,  Ala. ;  Nich 
olas  E.  Abercrombie,  Montgomery,  Ala. 

The  total  enrollment  for  the  year  was  400.  The 
school  farm  then  contained  540  acres  of  farm  and 
timber  land.  The  saw  mill  had  furnished  most 
of  the  lumber  for  the  buildings  and  other  carpen 
ter  work  done  that  year,  and  for  that  purpose  saw 
logs  had  been  cut  from  the  school  land.  The 
school  property  was  then  worth  about  $80,000. 
The  income  for  the  year  had  been  $26,755.73. 
This  amount  about  covered  ttie  expenses.  Includ 
ing  the  ten  mentioned  above,  the  school  then  had 
forty-two  graduates.  During  the  year  previous 
all  the  graduates  had  been  engaged  in  teaching 
for  some  part  of  the  year.  All  the  members  of 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  127 

that  year's  class  were  Christians.  They  went 
out  as  teachers  of  various  kinds  in  the  state  of 
Alabama.  The  young  women  had  a  knowledge 
of  washing,  ironing,  cooking,  sewing  and  gen 
eral  housekeeping  in  addition  to  their  intellectual 
attainments.  One  of  the  six  young  men  was  a 
shoemaker,  one  a  carpenter,  one  had  considerable 
knowledge  of  the  printer's  trade  and  one  was  an 
excellent  plasterer.  The  annual  address  at  that 
commencement  was  delivered  by  Hon.  John  R. 
Lynch,  of  Mississippi,  and  for  eloquence,  prac 
tical  thought  and  helpful  information  could  hardly 
have  been  surpassed.  There  was  a  number  of 
Tuskegee's  best  white  citizens  present,  while  the 
colored  citizens  came  out  en  masse  to  witness  the 
exercises  that  launched  into  life  three  youths  from 
their  own  town.  Montgomery  was  represented 
by  one  of  her  military  companies,  the  "Capital 
City  Guards,7' and  124  of  her  best  citizens,  for 
whose  accommodation  special  trains  were  sent 
out. 

In  order  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  people  at 
Tuskegee  during  its  early  history  were  not  idle, 
I  give  the  daily  program  which  was  in  effect  in 
January,  1886:  53.  m.,  rising  bell;  5:503.01., 
warning  breakfast  bell;  6  a.  m.,  breakfast  bell; 
6:20  a.  m.,  breakfast  over;  6:20  to  6:50  a.  m., 
rooms  are  cleaned;  6:50,  work  bell;  7:30,  morn 
ing  study  hour;  8:20,  morning  school  bell;  8:25, 


128  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

inspection  of  young  men's  toilet  in  ranks;  8:40, 
devotional  exercises  in  chapel;  8:55,  "5  minutes" 
with  the  daily  news:  9  a.  m.,  class  work  be 
gins;  12,  class  work  closes;  12:15  p.  m.,  din 
ner;  i  p.  m.,  work  bell;  1:30  p.  m.,  class  work 
begins;  3:30  p.  m.,  class  work  ends;  5:30  p.  m., 
bell  to  "knock  off "  work ;  6  p.  m.,  supper;  7:10 
p.  m.,  evening  prayers;  7:30  p.  m.,  evening  study 
hours;  8:45  p.  m.,  evening  study  hour  closes; 
9:20  p.  m.,  warning  retiring  bell;  9:30  p.  m.,  retir 
ing  bell. 

Although  the  period  of  the  school's  history 
about  which  I  have  written  in  this  chapter  was 
one  of  constant  and  substantial  growth,  it  never 
theless  was  during  this  period  that  the  school  sus 
tained  a  great  loss,  as  well  as  I  a  great  personal 
bereavement,  in  the  death  of  my  beloved  and 
faithful  wife,  Olivia  Davidson  Washington.  In 
May,  1889,  after  four  years  of  married  life,  she 
succumbed  to  the  overtaxing  duties  of  mother 
and  assistant  principal  of  the  school  and  passed 
away.  Her  remains  were  laid  to  rest  amid  the 
tears  of  teachers  and  students.  "Her  words  of 
caution,  advice,  sympathy  and  encouragement 
were  given  with  a  judgment  that  rarely  made  an 
error.  Her  life  was  so  full  of  deeds,  lessons  and 
suggestions  that  she  will  live  on  to  bless  and  help 
the  institution  which  she  helped  found  as  long  as 
it  is  a  seat  of  learning." 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  129 

Two  wide-awake  boys,  Baker  Taliaferro  and 
Ernest  Davidson,  were  born  to  us,  who  were 
then  too  young  to  know  their  loss.  They  are 
now  12  and  10  years  of  age  respectively;  and 
they,  with  my  daughter  Portia,  are  a  source  of 
much  comfort  and  joy  to  me  at  present. 

Miss  Davidson  came  to  the  school  almost  from 
the  very  beginning,  she  being  the  next  person  to 
come  after  myself.  I  have  spoken  in  other  places 
of  the  great  assistance  she  was  in  helping  to  build 
up  the  school  in  its  early  days.  As  an  estimate 
of  her  worth  and  character,  I  beg  to  quote  the 
words  of  the  Rev.  R.  C.  Bedford,  a  friend  who 
knew  her  worth  and  her  great  help  to  me  and  to 
Tuskegee.  Commenting  upon  her  death  Mr. 
Bedford  said: 

"Olivia  Davidson  was  born  in  Virginia,  June 
n,  1854.  When  only  a  little  child  she  went 
with  her  parents  to  Ohio,  where  she  grew  up  and 
received  the  education  afforded  by  the  common 
schools  of  that  state.  At  an  early  age  she  went 
to  Mississippi  and  there  spent  five  years  as  a 
teacher  on  the  large  plantations.  In  1878  she 
came  north  to  her  native  state,  and,  that  she 
might  more  thoroughly  fit  herself  for  the  work  of 
a  teacher,  she  entered  the  Hampton  Institute, 
from  which,  in  one  year,  she  graduated  with 
great  honor.  Her  friend,  Mrs.  Hemenway,  of 
Boston,  greatly  desiring  that  she  should  prose- 


130  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

cute  her  studies  still  further,  at  her  request,  she 
entered  the  Framingham,  (Mass.)  Normal 
School,  from  which  she  graduated  in  two  years. 
In  August  following  her  graduation  she  came  to 
Tuskegee,  Ala.,  to  act  as  assistant  to  Prof. 
Washington,  in  the  State  Normal  School  of  which 
he  had  been  made  principal  in  the  July  previous. 
From  the  very  first  it  became  evident  that  she 
had  found  her  field  of  labor  for  life.  Everything 
tended  to  inspire  her  to  this  end.  The  people 
were  poor;  they  were  numerous;  they  were 
anxious,  and  aside  from  an  act  of  the  Legislature 
establishing  a  school,  it  had,  literally,  to  be 
created.  The  story  of  her  success  has  often  been 
told  and  in  this  brief  tribute  cannot  be  repeated. 

"August  n,  1885,  Miss  Davidson  was  married 
to  Prof.  B.  T.  Washington,  and  although  she 
at  once  took  upon  herself  the  cares  of  a  very  busy 
home  life,  she  still  retained  a  most  important 
relation  to  the  school,  which  no  amount  of  warn 
ing  from  her  friends  could  persuade  her  to  drop. 
Her  marriage  with  Mr.  Washington  proved  a 
most  happy  one,  and  rarely  has  it  been  the  lot  of 
two  individuals  to  be  so  thoroughly  united  in 
their  life  work.  The  coming  of  little  Baker  into 
the  home  was  an  occasion  of  great  rejoicing,  and 
the  birth  of  another  son  just  a  few  months  before 
his  mother's  death  only  served  to  double  the  joy. 

"It  was  my  privilege  to  meet  Mrs.  Washing- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  131 

ton  at  Tuskegee  when  the  school  had  been  in 
operation  but  little  more  than  a  year  and,  as  one 
of  the  trustees  of  the  school,  I  have  had  an  inti 
mate  knowledge  of  her  work  ever  since.  It  would 
require  more  than  human  pen  to  tell  how  deep 
was  her  love  for  the  school  and  how  thoroughly 
her  life  was  consecrated  to  it.  Every  grain  of 
sand  on  all  those  beautiful  grounds  and  every 
beam  and  brick  in  the  walls  must  have  felt  the 
inspiration  of  her  love.  No  more  touching  story 
could  be  told  than  that  of  her  earnest  efforts  to 
raise  money  from  the  people  about  Tuskegee  and 
of  her  toilsome  walks  in  Boston,  as  from  house  to 
house,  and  with  an  eloquence  that  was  rarely  re 
fused,  she  sought  funds  to  provide  shelter  for  the 
hundreds  of  students  that  were  flocking  to  the 
school.  Her  character  made  her  especially 
adapted  to  all  parts  of  the  work  in  which  she  was 
engaged,  and  the  stamp  of  her  influence  on  the 
higher  life  of  the  school  no  time  can  ever  efface. 
Among  a  people  who  make  much  show  of  relig 
ion,  but  often  with  too  little  of  its  spirit,  hers  was 
religion  indeed,  but  with  so  little  of  show  as 
sometimes  to  make  her  life  a  mystery  to  those 
who  did  not  really  know  her.  The  blind  and  the 
poor,  and  above  all  the  aged,  can  tell  of  her  relig 
ion  as  they  recall  the  happy  Thanksgiving  and 
Christmas  times  when  they  have  sat  at  her  table 
and  her  own  hands  have  ministered  to  their 


132  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

wants,  and  when  in  sickness  she  has  visited  them 
and  relieved  their  sufferings.  No  woman  ever 
had  a  truer  husband  or  more  devoted  friends; 
and  the  memory  of  their  kindness  will  rest,  as  a 
precious  legacy,  upon  the  school  and  upon  all  who 
loved  her  as  long  as  time  shall  last." 

While  speaking  of  the  financial  growth  of  the 
school  I  must  not  neglect  to  indicate  the  growth 
at  the  same  time  in  students.  As  I  have  stated, 
the  school  opened  with  one  teacher  and  30 
students.  By  the  end  of  the  first  year  we  had 
three  teachers,  including  Miss  Davidson,  Mr. 
John  Caldwell  and  myself.  For  the  third  session 
there  were  169  students  and  10  teachers.  For 
the  fifth  year  there  were  279  students  and  18 
teachers.  For  the  eighth  year  there  were  399 
students  and  25  teachers.  For  the  tenth  year 
there  were  730  students  and  30  teachers.  For 
the  fourteenth  year,  ending  in  June,  1895,  there 
were  1,013  students  and  63  teachers. 

In  the  spring  of  1892,  at  our  annual  commence 
ment,  we  had  the  pleasure  and  the  honor  of  a 
visit  from  Hon.  Frederick  Douglass,  who  deliv 
ered  the  annual  address  to  the  graduating  class 
of  that  year.  This  was  Mr.  Douglass'  first  visit 
to  the  far  South,  and  there  was  a  large  crowd  of 
people  from  far  and  near  to  listen  to  the  words  of 
that  grand  old  man.  The  speech  was  fully  up  to 
the  high  standard  of  excellence,  eloquence  and 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  133 

wisdom  for  which  that  venerable  gentleman  was 
noted. 

Mr.  Douglass  had  the  same  idea  concerning  the 
importance  and  value  of  industrial  education  that  I 
have  tried  to  emphasize.  He  also  held  the  same 
views  as  I  do  in  regard  to  the  emigration  of  the 
Negro  to  Africa,  and  was  opposed  to  the  scheme 
of  diffusion  and  dissemination  of  the  Negro 
throughout  the  North  and  Northwest,  believing 
as  I  do  that  the  Southern  section  of  the  country 
where  the  Negro  now  resides  is  the  best  place 
for  him.  In  fact,  the  more  I  have  studied  the 
life  of  Mr.  Douglass  the  more  I  have  been  sur 
prised  to  find  his  far-reaching  and  generous  grasp 
of  the  whole  condition  and  needs  of  the.  Negro 
race.  Years  before  Hampton  or  Tuskegee  under 
took  industrial  education,  in  reply  to  a  request 
for  advice  by  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  as  to 
how  she  could  best  use  a  certain  sum  of  money 
which  had  been  or  was  about  to  be  placed  in  her 
hands,  Mr.  Douglass  wrote  -her  in  part  as  follows: 

ROCHESTER,   March  8,    1853. 
MY  DEAR  MRS.  STOWE: 

You  kindly  informed  me  when  at  your  house 
a  fortnight  ago,  that  you  designed  to  do  some 
thing  which  should  permanently  contribute  to  the 
improvement  and  elevation  of  the  free  colored 
people  in  the  United  States.  You  especially  ex 
pressed  an  interest  in  such  of  this  class  as  had 
become  free  by  their  own  exertions,  and  desired 


134  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

most  of  all  to  be  of  service  to  them.  In  what 
manner  and  by  what  means  you  can  assist  this 
class  most  successfully,  is  the  subject  upon  which 
you  have  done  me  the  honor  to  ask  my  opinion. 
I  assert,  then,  that  poverty,  ignorance, 
and  degradation  are  the  combined  evils;  or  in 
other  words,  these  constitute  the  social  disease  of 
the  free  colored  people  in  the  United  States. 

To  deliver  them  from  this  triple  malady  is  to 
improve  and  elevate  them,  by  which  I  mean  sim 
ply  to  put  them  on  an  equal  footing  with  their 
white  fellow-countrymen  in  the  sacred  right  to 
"Life,  Liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness."  I 
am  for  no  fancied  or  artificial  elevation,  but  only 
ask  fair  play .  How  shall  this  be  obtained  ?  I 
answer,  first,  not  by  establishing  for  our  use  high 
schools  and  colleges.  Such  institutions  are,  in 
my  judgment,  beyond  our  immediate  occasions 
and  are  not  adapted  to  our  present  most  press 
ing  wants.  High  schools  and  colleges  are  ex 
cellent  institutions,  and  will  in  due  season  be 
greatly  subservient  to  our  progress;  but  they  are 
the  result,  as  well  as  they  are  the  demand,  of  a 
point  of  progress  which  we  as  a  people  have  not 
yet  attained.  Accustomed  as  we  have  been  to 
the  rougher  and  harder  modes  of  living,  and  of 
gaining  a  livelihood,  we  cannot  and  we  ought  not 
to  hope  that  in  a  single  leap  from  our  low  condi 
tion  we  can  reach  that  of  Ministers,  Lawyers, 
Doctors,  Editors,  Merchants,  etc.  These  will 
doubtless  be  attained  by  us;  but  this  will  only  be 
when  we  have  patiently  and  laboriously,  and  I 
may  add,  successfully ,  mastered  and  passed  through 
the  intermediate  gradations  of  agriculture  and 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  135 

the  mechanic  arts.  Besides,  there  are  (and  per 
haps  there  is  a  better  reason  for  my  views  of  the 
case)  numerous  institutions  of  learning  in  this 
country,  already  thrown  open  to  colored  youth. 
To  my  thinking,  there  are  quite  as  many  facili 
ties  now  afforded  to  the  colored  people  as  they 
can  spare  the  time,  from  the  sterner  duties  of  life, 
to  judiciously  appropriate.  In  their  present  con 
dition  of  poverty  they  cannot  spare  their  sons 
and  daughters  two  or  three  years  at  boarding- 
schools  or  colleges,  to  say  nothing  of  finding  the 
means  to  sustain  them  while  at  such  institutions. 
I  take  it,  therefore,  that  we  are  well  provided  for 
in  this  respect;  and  that  it  may  be  fairly  inferred 
from  the  fact,  that  the  facilities  for  our  education, 
so  far  as  schools  and  colleges  in  the  Free  States 
are  concerned,  will  increase  quite  in  proportion 
with  our  future  wants.  Colleges  have  been 
opened  to  colored  youth  in  this  country  during 
the  last  dozen  years.  Yet  few,  comparatively, 
have  acquired  a  classical  education;  and  even 
this  few  have  found  themselves  educated  far 
above  a  living  condition,  there  being  no  methods 
by  which  they  could  turn  their  learning  to  ac 
count.  Several  of  this  latter  class  have  entered 
the  ministry;  but  you  need  not  be  told  that  an 
educated  people  is  needed  to  sustain  an  educated 
ministry.  There  must  be  a  certain  amount  of 
cultivation  among  the  people,  to  sustain  such  a 
ministry.  At  present  we  have  not  that  cultiva 
tion  amongst  us;  and,  therefore,  we  value  in  the 
preacher  strong  lungs  rather  than  high  learning. 
I  do  not  say  that  educated  ministers  are  not 
needed  amongst  us,  far  from  it.  I  wish  there 


-136  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

were  more  of  them;  but  to  increase  their  number 
is  not  the  largest  benefit  you  can  bestow 
upon  us. 

We  have  two  or  three  colored  lawyers  in  this 
country;  and  I  rejoice  in  the  fact;  for  it  affords 
very  gratifying  evidence  of  our  progress.  Yet  it 
must  be  confessed  that,  in  point  of  success,  our 
lawyers  are  as  great  failures  as  our  ministers. 
White  people  will  not  employ  them  to  the  obvious 
embarrassment  of  their  causes;  the  blacks,  taking 
their  cue  from  the  whites,  have  not  sufficient 
confidence  in  their  abilities  to  employ  them. 
Hence  educated  colored  men,  among  the  colored 
people,  are  at  a  very  great  discount.  It  would 
seem  that  education  and  emigration  go  together 
with  us,  for  as  soon  as  a  man  rises  amongst  us, 
capable,  by  his  genius  and  learning,  to  do  us 
great  service,  just  so  soon  he  finds  that  he  can 
serve  himself  better  by  going  elsewhere.  In  proof 
of  this,  I  might  instance  the  Russwurms,  the 
Garnetts,  the  Wards,  the  Crummells,  and  others, 
all  men  of  superior  ability  and  attainments,  and 
capable  of  removing  mountains  of  prejudice 
against  their  race,  by  their  simple  presence  in  the 
country;  but  these  gentlemen,  finding  themselves 
embarrassed  here  by  the  peculiar  disadvantages 
to  which  I  have  referred,  disadvantages  in  part 
growing  out  of  their  education,  being  repelled  by 
ignorance  on  one  hand,  and  prejudice  on  the 
other,  and  having  no  taste  to  continue  a  contest 
against  such  odds,  have  sought  more  congenial 
climes,  where  they  can  live  more  peaceable  and 
quiet  lives.  I  regret  their  election,  but  I  cannot 
blame  them;  for  with  an  equal  amount  of  educa- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  137 

tion  and  the  hard  lot  which  was  theirs,  I  might 
follow  their  example. 

There  is  little  reason  to  hope  that  any  consider 
able  number  of  the  free  colored  people  will  ever  be 
induced  to  leave  this  country,  even  if  such  a  thing 
were  desirable.     The  black  man  (unlike  the  In 
dian)  loves  civilization.     He  does  not  make  very 
great  progress  in  civilization  himself,  but  he  likes 
to  be  in  the  midst  of  it,  and  prefers  to  share  its 
most   galling   evils,  to   encountering   barbarism. 
Then  the  love  of  country,  the  dread  of  isolation, 
the  lack  of  adventurous  spirit,  and  the  thought  of 
seeming  to  desert  their  "brethren  in  bonds,"  are 
a  powerful  check  upon  all  schemes  of  colonization, 
which  look  to  the  removal  of  the  colored  people, 
without  the  slaves.    The  truth  is,  dear  madam,  we 
are  here,  and  here  we  are  likely  to  remain.   Individ 
uals  emigrate — nations  never.  We  have  grown  up 
with  this  republic,  and  see  nothing  in  her  charac 
ter,    or   even  in  the  character  of  the  American 
people,  as  yet,  which  compels  the  belief  that  we 
must  leave  the  United   States.     If,  then,  we  are 
to  remain  here,  the   question  for  the  wise  and 
good  is  precisely  that  which  you  have  submitted 
to  me — namely:      What  can  be  done  to  improve 
the  condition  of  the  free  people  of  color  in  the 
United  States  ?     The  plan  which  I  humbly  sub 
mit  in  answer  to  this  inquiry  (and  the  hope  that  it 
may  find  favor  with  you,  and  with  the  many  friends 
of  humanity  who  honor,  love  and  co-operate  with 
you)  is  the  establishment  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  or 
in  some  other  part  of  the  United  States  equally 
favorable  to  such  an  enterprise,  of   an  INDUS 
TRIAL  COLLEGE  in  which  shall  be   taught 


138  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

several  important  branches  of  the  mechanic  arts. 
This  college  shall  be  open  to  colored  youth.     I 
shall  pass  over  the  details  of  such  an  institution 
as  I  propose.     .     .     .     Never  having  had  a  day's 
schooling  in  my  life,  I  may  not  be  expected  to 
map  out  the  details  of  a  plan  so  comprehensive  as 
that  involved  in  the  idea  of  a  college.     I  repeat, 
then,  that  I  leave  the  organization  and  adminis 
tration  of  the  institution  to  the  superior  wisdom 
of  yourself  and  the  friends  who  second  your  noble 
efforts.     The  argument  in  favor  of  an  Industrial 
College  (a  college  to  be  conducted  by  the  best 
men,  and  the  best  workmen  which  the  mechanic 
arts  can  afford;  a  college  where  colored  youth 
can  be  instructed  to  use  their  hands,  as  well  as 
their  heads;  where  they  can  be  put  in  possession 
of  the  means  of  getting  a  living  wherever  their 
lot  in  after  life  may  be  cast  among  civilized  or 
uncivilized   men;  whether   they   choose   to  stay 
here,  or  prefer  to  return    to    the   land  of   their 
fathers)  is  briefly  this:  Prejudice  against  the  free 
colored  people  in  the  United  States  has   shown 
itself  nowhere  so  invincible  as  among  mechanics. 
The  farmer  and  the  professional  man  cherish  no 
feeling  so  bitter  as  that  cherished  by  these.     The 
latter  would  starve  us  out  of  the  country  entirely. 
At  this  moment  I  can   more  easily  get  my  son 
into  a  lawyer's  office  to  study  law  than  I  can  in  a 
blacksmith's    shop   to   blow  the  bellows  and   to 
wield  the  sledge-hammer.     Denied  the  means  of 
learning  useful  trades,  we  are   pressed  into  the 
narrowest  limits  to  obtain  a  livelihood.     In  times 
past  we  have  been  the  hewers  of  wood  and  draw 
ers  of  water  for  American  society,  and  we  once 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  139 

enjoyed  a  monopoly  in  menial  employments,  but 
this  is  so  no  longer.  Even  these  employments 
are  rapidly  passing  away  out  of  out  hands.  The 
fact  is,  (every  day  begins  with  the  lesson,  and 
ends  with  the  lesson)  that  colored  men  must  learn 
trades;  must  find  new  employments;  new  modes 
of  usefulness  to  society,  or  that  they  must  decay 
under  the  pressing  wants  to  which  their  condition 
is  rapidly  bringing  them. 

We  must  become  mechanics;  we  must  build 
as  well  as  live  in  houses;  we  must  make  as  well 
as  use  furniture;  we  must  construct  bridges  as 
well  as  pass  over  them;  before  we  can  properly 
live  or  be  respected  by  our  fellow-men.  We  need 
mechanics  as  well  as  ministers.  We  need  work 
ers  in  iron,  clay,  and  leather.  We  have  orators, 
authors,  and  other  professional  men,  but  these 
reach  only  a  certain  class,  and  get  respect  for  our 
race  in  certain  select  circles.  To  live  here  as  we 
ought  we  must  fasten  ourselves  to  our  country 
men  through  their  every -day,  cardinal  wants. 
We  must  not  only  be  able  to  black  boots,  but  to 
make  them.  At  present  we  are  in  the  Northern 
states,  unknown  as  mechanics.  We  give  no 
proof  of  genius  or  skill  at  the  county,  state  or 
national  fairs.  We  are  unknown  at  any  of  the 
great  exhibitions  of  the  industry  of  our  fellow 
citizens,  and  being  unknown,  we  are  unconsidered. 

Wishing  you,  dear  madam,  renewed  health,  a 
pleasant  passage  and  safe  return  to  your  native 
land,  I  am,  most  truly,  your  gratified  friend, 

FREDERICK  DOUGLASS. 

In  October,  1893,  I  was  married  to  Miss  Mag- 


140  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

gie  James  Murray,  who  is  a  graduate  of  Fisk 
University,  and  who  came  to  Tuskegee  in  1889 
as  a  teacher.  She  has  proven  in  every  way  Ijer- 
self  to  be  equally  interested  in  the  advancement 
of  Tuskegee  as  myself,  and  fully  bears  her  share 
of  the  responsibilities  and  labor,  giving  especial 
attention  to  the  development  of  the  girls  and  to 
work  among  the  women  through  her  mothers' 
meetings  in  various  parts  of  Alabama  and  else 
where.  * 


CHAPTER   IX. 

INVITED  TO  DELIVER  A  LECTURE  AT  FISK 
UNIVERSITY. 

In  the  spring  of  1895  I  was  rather  pleasantly 
surprised  by  receiving  an  invitation  from  the  Fisk 
University  Lecture  Bureau,  in  Nashville,  Tennes 
see,  to  deliver  a  lecture  before  this  Bureau.  Mr. 
Edgar  Webber  was  the  president  and  presided  at 
the  meeting  when  I  spoke.  This  was  among  the 
first  addresses  which  I  had  delivered  in  the  South 
that  was  fully  reported  by  the  Southern  press.  A 
full  description  of  the  meeting  was  given  by  the 
Nashville  Daily  American  and  the  Nashville  Ban 
ner,  and  papers  throughout  many  portions  of  the 
South  contained  editorials  based  upon  this  address. 
It  was  also  my  first  opportunity  to  speak  before 
any  large  number  of  educated  and  representative 
colored  people,  and  I  accepted  the  invitation  very 
reluctantly  and  went  to  Nashville  with  a  good 
deal  of  fear  and  trembling,  but  my  effort  seemed 
to  have  met  with  the  hearty  approval  of  the 
greater  portion  of  the  audience. 

As  the  address  delivered  at  Fisk  University 
on  this  occasion  constitutes  in  a  large  measure  the 
basis  for  many  of  my  other  addresses  and  much 

141 


142  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

of  the  work  I  have  tried  to  do,  I  give  in  full  what 
the  Nashville  American  said: 

"An  intelligent  and  appreciative  audience 
composed  of  prominent  colored  citizens,  students 
and  quite  a  large  number  of  white  people,  crowded 
the  beautiful  and  commodious  Fisk  memorial 
chapel  last  night  to  hear  Prof.  Booker  T.  Wash 
ington  lecture  on  'Industrial  Education.'  The 
lecture  was  the  first  given  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Student's  Lecture  Bureau  of  Fisk  University, 
and  was  in  every  way  a  complete  success.  Mr. 
Washington  is  a  powerful  and  convincing  speaker. 
His  simplicity  and  utter  unselfishness,  both  in 
speech  and  action  are  impressive.  He  speaks  to 
the  point.  He  does  not  waste  words  in  painting 
beautiful  pictures,  but  deals  mostly  with  plain 
facts.  Nevertheless,  he  is  witty  and  caused  his 
audience  last  night  to  laugh  and  applaud  repeated 
ly  the  jokes  and  striking  points  of  his  address. 

"Booker  T.  Washington  is  doing  a  great 
work  for  his  race  and  the  South.  He  has  the 
right  views. 

"Prof.  Washington  was  introduced  by  Edgar 
Webber,  President  of  the  Lecture  Bureau,  and 
among  other  things  he  said: 

CI  am  exceedingly  anxious  that  every  young 
man  and  woman  should  keep  a  hopeful  and  cheer- 
full  spirit  as  to  the  future.  Despite  all  of  our  dis 
advantages  and  hardships,  ever  since  our  fore- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  143 

fathers  set  foot  upon  the  American  soil  as  slaves, 
our  pathway  has  been  marked  by  progress.  Think 
of  it:  We  went  into  slavery  pagans;  we  came 
out  Christians.  We  went  into  slavery  a  piece  of 
property;  we  came  out  American  citizens.  We 
went  into, slavery  without  a  language;  we  came 
out  speaking  the  proud  Anglo-Saxon  tongue. 
We  went  into  slavery  with  slave  chains  clanking 
about  our  wrists;  we  came  out  with  the  American 
ballot  in  our  hands. 

"  'I  believe  that  we  are  to  reach  our  highest 
development  largely  along  the  lines  of  scientific 
and  industrial  education.  For  the  last  fifty  years 
education  has  tended  in  one  direction,  the  cement 
ing  of  mind  to  matter.' 

"The  speaker  then  said  most  people  had  the 
idea  that  industrial  education  was  opposed  to  lit 
erary  training,  opposed  to  the  highest  develop 
ment.  He  wanted  to  correct  this  error.  He 
would  choose  the  college  graduate  as  the  subject 
to  receive  industrial  education.  The  more  mind 
the  subject  had,  the  more  satisfactory  would  be 
the  results  in  industrial  education.  It  requires 
as  strong  a  mind  to  build  a  Corliss  engine  as  it 
did  to  write  a  Greek  grammar.  Without  indus 
trial  education,  the  speaker  feared  they  would  be 
in  danger  of  getting  too  many  'smart  men'  scat 
tered  through  the  South.  A  young  colored  man 
in  a  certain  town  had  been  pointed  out  to  him  as 


144  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

being  exceedingly  smart  and  he  had  heard  of  him 
as  being  very  accomplished  before.  Upon  in 
quiry,  however,  he  learned  the  young  man  ap 
plied  his  knowledge  and  training  to  no  earthly 
good.  He  was  just  a  smart  man,  that  was  all.' 

"Continuing,  the  speaker  said:  'As  a  race 
there  are  two  things  we  must  learn  to  do — one  is 
to  put  brains  into  the  common  occupations  of  life, 
and  the  other  is  to  dignify  common  labor.  If  we 
do  not  we  cannot  hold  our  own  as  a  race. 
Ninety  per  cent,  of  any  race  on  the  globe  earns 
its  living  at  the  common  occupations  of  life,  and 
the  Negro  can  be  no  exception  to  this  rule.' 

"Prof.  Washington  then  illustrated  the  import 
ance  of  this  by  citing  the  fact  that  while  twenty 
years  ago  every  large  and  paying  barber  shop 
over  the  country  was  in  the  hands  of  black  men, 
today  in  all  the  large  cities  you  cannot  find  a 
single  large  or  first  class  barber  shop  operated  by 
colored  men.  The  black  men  had  had  the 
monopoly  of  that  industry,  but  had  gone  on  from 
day  to  day  in  the  same  old  monotonous  way 
without  improving  anything  about  the  industry. 
As  a  result  the  white  man  has  taken  it  up,  put 
brains  into  it,  watched  all  the  fine  points,  improved 
and  progressed  until  his  shop  today  was  not 
known  as  a  barber  shop,  but  as  a  tonsorial  parlor, 
and  he  was  no  longer  called  a  barber  but  a  tonsorial 
artist.  Just  so  the  old  Negro  man  with  his  bucket 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  145 

of  whitewash  and  his  long  pole  and  brush  had 
given  way  to  the  white  man,  who  had  applied 
his  knowledge  of  chemistry  to  mixing  materials, 
his  knowledge  of  physics  to  the  blending  of  colors, 
and  his  knowledge  of  geometry  to  figuring  and 
decorating  the  ceiling.  But  the  white  man  was 
not  called  a  whitewasher;  he  was  called  a  house 
decorater.  He  had  put  brains  into  his  work,  had 
given  dignity  to  it,  and  the  old  colored  man  with 
the  long  pole  and  bucket  was  a  thing  of  the  past. 
The  old  Negro  woman  and  her  wash  tub  were 
fast  being  supplanted  by  the  white  man  with  his 
steam  laundry,  washing  over  a  hundred  shirts  an 
hour.  The  many  colored  men  who  had  formerly 
earned  a  living  by  cutting  the  grass  in  the  front 
yards  and  keeping  the  flower  beds  in  trim  were 
no  competitors  for  the  white  man,  who,  bringing 
his  knowledge  of  surveying  and  terracing  and 
plotting  land,  and  his  knowledge  of  botany  and 
blending  colors  into  active  play,  had  dignified  and 
promoted  the  work.  He  was  not  called  a  grass 
cutter  or  a  yard  cleaner,  but  a  florist  or  a  land 
scape  gardener.  The  old  black  'mammy1  could 
never  again  enter  the  sick-room,  where  she  was 
once  known  as  a  peerless  nurse.  She  had  given 
place  to  the  tidy  little  white  woman,  with 
her  neat  white  cap  and  apron,  her  knowledge 
of  physiology,  bandaging,  principles  of  diseases 
and  the  administration  of  medicine,  who  had 


146  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

dignified,  beautified  and  glorified  the  art  of 
nursing  and  had  turned  it  into  a  profession.  Just 
so,  too,  the  black  cook  was  going  out  of  date 
under  the  influence  of  the  superior  knowledge  and 
art  of  cookery  possessed  by  white  'chefs,'  who 
were  educated  men  and  commanded  large 
salaries. 

"  'Now,'  said  the  speaker,  'what  are  we  going 
to  do?  Are  we  going  to  put  brains  into  these 
common  occupations?  Are  we  going  to  apply 
the  knowledge  we  gain  at  school?  Are  we  go 
ing  to  keep  up  with  the  world,  or  are  we  going 
to  let  these  occupations,  which  mean  our  very 
life  blood,  slip  from  us?  Education  in  itself  is 
worthless;  it  is  only  as  it  is  used  that  it  is  of 
value.  A  man  might  as  well  fill  his  head  with  so 
much  cheap  soup  as  with  learning  unless  he  is 
going  to  use  his  knowledge.' 

"Prof.  Washington  said  that  he  had  been  told 
that  the  young  colored  man  is  cramped,  and  that 
after  he  gets  his  education  there  were  few 
chances  to  use  it.  He  had  little  patience  with 
such  argument.  The  idea  had  been  too  prevalent 
that  the  educated  colored  man  must  either  teach, 
preach,  be  a  clerk  or  follow  some  profession.  The 
educated  colored  man  must,  more  and  more,  go 
to  the  farms,  into  the  trades,  start  brickyards, 
saw-mills,  factories,  open  coal  mines;  in  short, 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  147 

apply  their  education  to  conquering  the  forces  of 
nature. 

"One  trouble  with  the  average  Negro,  said 
the  speaker,  was  he  was  always  hungry,  and  it 
was  impossible  to  make  progress  along  educa 
tional,  moral  or  religious  lines  while  in  that  con 
dition.  It  was  a  hard  matter  to  make  a  Christian 
out  of  a  hungry  man.  It  had  often  been  con 
tended  that  the  Negro  needed  no  industrial 
education,  because  he  already  knew  too  well  how 
to  work.  There  never  was  a  greater  mistake, 
and  the  speaker  compared,  as  an  illustration,  the 
white  man  with  his  up-to-date  cultivator  to  the 
'one  gallused'  Negro  with  his  old  plow,  patched 
harness  and  stiff-jointed  mule. 

"The  speaker  was  inclined  to  fear  that  the 
Negro  race  lay  too  much  stress  on  their  griev 
ances  and  not  enough  on  their  opportunities. 
While  many  wrongs  had  been  perpetrated  on 
them  in  the  South,  still  it  was  recognized  by  all 
intelligent  colored  people  that  the  black  man  has 
far  better  opportunity  to  rise  in  his  business  in 
the  South  than  in  the  North.  While  he  might 
not  be  permitted  to  ride  in  the  first-class  car  in  the 
South,  he  was  not  allowed  to  help  build  that  first- 
class  car  in  the  North.  He  could  sooner  conquer 
Southern  prejudice  than  Northern  competition. 
The  speaker  found  that  when  it  came  to  business, 
pure  and  simple,  the  black  man  in  the  South  was 


148  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

put  on  the  same  footing  with  the  white  man,  and 
here,  said  he,  was  the  Negro's  great  opportunity. 
The  black  man  could  always  find  a  purchaser  for 
his  wares  among  the  whites. 

"Prof.  Washington  concluded  with  an  appeal  to 
his  race  to  use  the  opportunities  that  are  right 
about  them  and  thus  grow  independent. 

"He  has  made  a  lasting  impression  on  the  minds 
of  all  who  heard  him.  If  he  continues  his  wonder 
ful  career  he  will  be  classed  with  Douglass  as  a 
benefactor  to  the  Negro  race." 

The  Memphis  Commercial-Appeal  a  few  days 
after  this  address  was  delivered  contained  an  edi 
torial  concerning  it.  I  quote  that  in  full  because 
it  is  among  the  first  editorials  from  a  Southern 
newspaper  concerning  my  addresses  and  the  work 
at  Tuskegee,  and  also  because  it  shows  that  the  ef 
forts  put  forth  at  Tuskegee  in  behalf  of  industrial 
education  for  the  Negro  have  had  the  effect  of 
awakening  not  only  the  Negroes  but  even  the 
Southern  whites  to  the  necessity  of  more  educa 
tion  of  this  kind.  The  editorial  is  as  follows : 

"Prof.  Booker  T.  Washington,  a  short  time 
since,  delivered  an  address  before  the  students  of 
Fisk  University,  in  which  he  advocated  industrial 
education  for  the  Negro  race.  The  address  has 
received  considerable  attention  and  evoked  many 
favorable  comments,  and  the  theme  is  one  worthy 
of  far  more  consideration  than  it  has  ever  received 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  149 

in  the  South.  Our  interest  in  the  matter,  however, 
does  not  particularly  concern  its  application  to 
the  Negro.  We  are  chiefly  interested  for  the 
Southern  whites  and  the  South  itself.  The  South 
is  just  about  to  enter  an  era  of  industrial  de 
velopment  that  will  be  almost  without  parallel. 
Its  progress  will  be  all  the  more  rapid  because  of 
the  long  delay  that  has  allowed  other  fields  to  be 
exhausted  before  the  vast  wealth  of  our  natural 
resources  began  to  be  developed.  The  one  great 
drawback  to  the  development  of  the  south  has 
been  the  lack  of  skilled  and  educated  labor,  and 
in  the  great  industrial  awakening  that  is  upon  us 
the  skill  to  manage  and  operate  our  mills  and 
factories  and  convert  our  abundant  crude  material 
into  finished  products,  must  come  from  the  North, 
unless  something  is  done  to  educate  our  own 
people  in  the  industrial  arts.  The  opening  of  the 
eyes  of  the  world  to  the  vast  natural  wealth  of 
the  South  will  then  simply  mean  that  strangers 
will  come  in  and  dispossess  our  own  people  of 
their  vintage  and  turn  to  their  own  account  the 
opportunities  we  have  never  learned  to  employ. 
We  must  awake  to  the  fact  that  we  are  face  to 
face  with  a  new  civilization.  The  old  order 

<r 

changeth  giving  place  to  the  new.  We  must 
adjust  ourselves  to  the  changed  conditions,  or  be 
left  behind  in  the  march  of  progress.  We  must 
catch  the  spirit  of  modern  progress  and  achieve- 


150  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

ment  or  be  rooted  out  by  those  that  have.  The 
great  men  of  this  generation  are  not  statesmen, 
lawyers,  orators  or  poets.  The  richest  rewards  of 
intellectual  effort  go  to  those  who  know  how  to 
bring  the  forces  of  nature  to  aid  the  processes  of 
production;  in  the  natural  era  that  is  now  upon 
us  this  will  be  especially  true  of  the  South.  The 
men  who  have  the  capacity  for  taking  active  and 
effective  part  in  the  development  of  our  resources, 
for  the  management  of  mills  and  factories,  for 
contributing  skilled  labor  to  the  fashioning  of 
crude  material  into  finished  product,  these  are 
the  men  who  will  reap  the  mighty  harvest  and 
the  men  who  will  possess  and  rule  our  country. 
The  same  is  true  of  the  farm  as  well  as  the  fac 
tory.  The  crude  and  unskilled  methods  of 
Southern  agriculture  must  give  way  to  more 
scientific  tillage.  If  our  own  farmers  cannot  learn 
the  lesson  they  must  be  displaced  by  those  that 
know  it. 

"All  the  Southern  States  are  doing  much  in 
the  way  of  educating  the  people;  but  without 
disparaging  the  value  of  the  learning  obtained  in 
our  schools,  how  much  of  it  goes  to  prepare  the 
young  for  grappling  with  the  conditions  that  sur 
round  them  or  will  help  to  make  them  masters 
or  successful  workers  in  the  great  field  of  modern 
progress?  Look  at  the  vast  wealth  of  unde 
veloped  resources  that  encompasses  almost  every 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  151 

Southern  community.  Look  at  the  fertile  fields 
or  the  worn  lands  still  in  bondage  to  ignorant 
labor  and  an  ante-bellum  agricultural  system. 
Will  a  knowledge  of  grammar  or  of  Greek  convert 
our  coal,  our  iron  and  our  timber  into  wealth,  or 
make  our  fields  bountiful  with  the  harvest?  The 
plain  truth  is  that  much  of  the  learning  obtained 
in  our  schools  is  wasted  erudition.  The  young  are 
not  only  not  educated  with  reference  to  the  con 
ditions  of  the  age,  but  their  minds  are  carefully  and 
systematically  trained  in  other  directions.  They 
see  no  triumphs  of  intellect  except  in  politics  or 
the  'learned  professions.'  Their  imaginations  are 
inflamed  by  stories  of  how  men  from  humble 
beginnings  became  great  statesmen,  great  orators 
and  great  lawyers.  The  result  is  that  thousands 
miserably  fail  because  their  little  book  learn 
ing  has  diverted  them  from  occupations  in  which 
they  might  have  achieved  honorable  success  and 
•even  distinction.  These  men  who  might  have 
become  machinists  become  pettifogging  lawyers, 
quack  doctors  or  small-bore  politicians.  Indus 
trial  education  is  the  great  need  of  the  South, 
because  industrial  skill  and  educated  labor  are  to 
be  the  factors  of  its  future  progress,  and  these  are 
to  reap  the  richest  rewards  it  will  have  to  bestow. 
If  our  own  children  cannot  be  prepared  to  take 
their  part  in  the  great  work,  strangers  will  reap 
and  enjoy  the  harvest." 


CHAPTER   X. 

THE    SPEECH    AT    THE    OPENING    OF   THE    COTTON 

STATES'  EXPOSITION,  AND   INCIDENTS 

CONNECTED    THEREWITH. 

So  much  has  been  said  and  written  concerning 
the  address  which  I  delivered  at  the  opening  of 
the  Atlanta  Exposition  in  September,  1895,  that  it 
may  not  be  out  of  place  for  me  to  explain  in  some 
detail  how  and  why  I  received  the  invitation  to 
deliver  this  address. 

In  the  spring  of  1895  I  received'a  telegram  at 
Tuskegee  from  prominent  citizens  in  Atlanta  ask 
ing  me  to  accompany  a  committee  composed  of 
Atlanta  people, — all  white,  I  think,  except  Bishop 
Gaines  and  Bishop  Grant, — to  Washington  to  ap 
pear  before  the  Committee  on  Appropriations  for 
the  purpose  of  inducing  Congress  to  make  an  ap 
propriation  to  help  forward  the  Exposition  which 
the  citizens  of  Atlanta  were  at  that  time  planning 
to  hold.  I  accepted  this  invitation  and  went  to 
Washington  with  the  committee.  A  number  of 
the  white  people  in  the  delegation  spoke,  among 
them  the  Mayor  and  other  officials  of  Atlanta, 
and  then  Bishop  Gaines  and  Bishop  Grant  were 
called  upon.  My  name  was  last,  I  think,  on 
the  list  of  speakers.  I  had  never  before  appeared 

10  153 


154          THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

before  such  a  committee  or  made  any  address  in 
the  capitol  of  the  Nation,  and  I  had  many  misgiv 
ings  as  to  what  I  should  say  and  the  impression  I 
would  make.  While  I  cannot  recall  my  speech,  I 
remember  that  I  tried  to  impress  upon  the  Com 
mittee  with  all  the  earnestness  and  plainness  of 
language  that  I  could  that  if  Congress  wanted  to 
help  the  South  do  something  that  would  rid  it  of 
the  race  problem  and  make  friends  between  the 
two  races  it  should  in  every  way  encourage  the 
material  and  intellectual  growth  of  both  races,  and 
that  the  Atlanta  Exposition  would  present  an  op 
portunity  for  both  races  to  show  what  they  had 
done  in  the  way  of  development  since  freedom, 
and  would  at  the  same  time  prove  a  great  encour 
agement  to  both  races  to  make  still  greater  prog 
ress.  I  tried  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  political 
agitation  alone  would  not  save  the  Negro,  that 
back  of  politics  he  must  have  industry,  thrift,  in 
telligence  and  property ;  that  no  race  without  these 
elements  of  strength  could  permanently  succeed 
and  gain  the  respect  of  its  fellow  citizens,  and  that 
the  time  had  now  come  when  Congress  had  an 
opportunity  to  do  something  for  the  Negro  and 
the  South  that  would  prove  of  real  and  lasting 
benefit,  and  that  I  should  be  greatly  disappointed 
if  it  did  not  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity. 
I  spoke  for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  and  was 
very  much  surprised  at  the  close  of  my  address 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  155 

to  receive  the  hearty  congratulations  and  thanks 
of  all  the  members  of  the  Atlanta  delegation,  as 
well  as  the  members  of  the  Committee  on  Appro 
priations,  I  will  not  prolong  the  story,  except  to 
add  that  the  Committee  did  pass  the  resolution 
unanimously,  agreeing  to  report  a  bill  to  Con 
gress  in  the  interest  of  the  Atlanta  Exposition. 
Our  work,  however,  did  not  end  with  making 
these  addresses  before  the  Committee.  We 
remained  in  Washington  several  days.  The 
Atlanta  committee  had  meetings  every  day  and 
the  colored  members  were  invited  to  these,  and 
were  given  a  free  opportunity  to  express  their 
views.  Certain  members  of  Congress  were  par 
celed  out  to  each  member  of  the  Atlanta  com 
mittee  to  see,  and  we  spent  some  time  in  convinc 
ing  as  many  individual  members  of  Congress  as 
possible  of  the  justness  of  Atlanta's  claim.  We 
called  in  a  body  upon  Speaker  Thomas  B.  Reed. 
This  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  had  the 
pleasure  of  shaking  hands  with  this  great  Amer 
ican;  since  then  I  have  come  to  know  him  well 
and  am  greatly  indebted  to  him  for  many  kind 
nesses.  After  we  had  spent  some  time  in  Wash 
ington  in  hard  effort  in  the  interest  of  the  bill,  it 
was  called  up  in  Congress  and  was  passed  with 
very  little  opposition.  From  the  moment  that 
the  bill  passed  Congress  the  success  of  the 
Atlanta  Exposition  was  assured. 


156  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

Soon  after  we  made  this  trip  to  Washington, 
the  directors  of  the  Atlanta  Exposition  decided 
that  it  was  the  proper  thing  to  give  the  colored 
people  of  the  country  every  opportunity  possible, 
to  show,  by  a  separate  exhibit,  to  what  progress 
they  had  attained  since  their  freedom.  To  this 
end  the  directors  decided  to  erect  a  large  and 
commodious  building  to  be  known  as  the  Negro 
Building.  This  building  in  size,  architectural 
beauty  and  general  finish  was  fully  equal  to  the 
other  buildings  on  the  grounds.  It  was  entirely 
constructed  by  colored  labor  and  was  filled  with 
the  products  of  Negro  skill,  brains,  and  handicraft. 

After  it  was  decided  to  have  a  separate  Negro 
exhibit  it  became  quite  a  question  as  to  the  best 
manner  of  securing  a  representative  and  large 
exhibit  from  the  race.  I,  in  connection  with 
prominent  colored  citizens  of  Georgia,  was  con 
sulted  on  a  good  many  occasions  by  the  directors 
of  the  exposition.  It  was  finally  decided  to 
appoint  a  Negro  commissioner  to  represent  each 
Southern  State,  who  should  have  charge  of  col 
lecting  and  installing  the  exhibit  from  his  state. 
After  these  state  commissioners  were  appointed, 
a  meeting  of  them  was  called  in  Atlanta  for  the 
purpose  of  organization  and  forming  plans  to 
further  the  Negro  exhibit.  At  the  joint  meeting 
of  these  State  Commissioners,  it  was  decided  that 
a  Chief  Commissioner  to  have  the  general  super- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  157 

vision  of  all  the  exhibits  should  be  selected.  A 
good  many  people  insisted  that  I  should  accept 
the  position  of  Chief  Commissioner.  I  declined  to 
permit  my  name  to  be  used  for  this  purpose, 
because  my  duties  at  Tuskegee  would  not  permit 
me  to  give  the  time  and  thought  to  it  that  the 
position  demanded.  I  did,  however,  accept  the 
position  of  Commissioner  for  the  State  of  Ala 
bama.  After  a  good  deal  of  discussion  and  some 
disagreement,  Mr.  I.  Garland  Penn,  of  Lynchburg, 
Virginia,  was  selected  by  the  Commissioners  and 
this  choice  was  made  unanimous.  The  success  of 
the  Negro  exhibit  was  in  a  very  large  measure 
due  to  the  energy  and  fidelity  of  Mr.  Penn.  No 
one  who  voted  for  him,  I  think,  ever  had  reason 
to  regret  doing  so.  Most  of  the  states,  especially 
the  Southern  States,  including  the  District  of 
Columbia,  had  very  creditable  exhibits — exhibits 
that  in  many  cases  surprised  not  only  the  Negro 
race  but  the  white  people.  I  think  the  class  of 
people  who  were  most  surprised  when  they  went 
into  the  Negro  Building  were  some  of  the  South 
ern  white  people  who,  while  they  had  known  the 
Negro  as  a  field  hand,  as  a  servant,  and  seen  him 
on  the  streets,  had  not  been  in  any  large  degree 
into  his  homes  and  school-houses.  At  this  Expo 
sition,  they  had,  I  believe,  the  first  general  oppor 
tunity  to  see  for  themselves  the  real  progress  that 
the  Negro  was  making  in  the  most  vital  things 


158  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

of  life,  and  it  was  very  interesting  as  well  as  sat 
isfactory  to  hear  their  constant  exclamations  of 
surprise  and  gratification  as  they  walked  through 
the  Negro  Building. 

The  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute 
made  a  special  effort  to  prepare  a  large  and  cred 
itable  exhibit,  and  in  this  the  institution  was  most 
successful.  The  Tuskegee  exhibit  consisted  of 
all  forms  of  agricultural  products,  various  articles 
made  in  the  shops,  such  as  two-horse  wagons, 
one-horse  wagons,  single  and  double  carriages, 
harness,  shoes,  tinware,  products  from  the  sewing 
rooms,  laundry,  printing  office,  and  academic 
work,  in  fact  all  of  the  twenty-six  industries  in 
operation  at  Tuskegee  were  well  and  creditably 
represented.  With  the  exception  of  the  exhibit 
from  the  Hampton  Institute,  Hampton,  Va., 
Tuskegee  had  the  largest  exhibit  in  the  Negro 
Building. 

As  the  day  for  the  opening  of  the  Exposition 
began  to  draw  near  the  Board  of  Directors  began 
to  prepare  their  programme  for  the  opening  day. 
A  great  many  suggestions  were  made  as  to  the 
kind  of  exercises  that  should  be  held  on  that  day 
and  as  to  the  names  of  the  speakers  to  take  part. 
As  the  discussion  went  on  from  day  to  day,  Mr. 
I.  Garland  Penn  was  bold  enough  to  suggest  to  the 
Commissioners  that,  as  the  Negroes  were  taking 
such  a  prominent  part  in  trying  to  make  the  Ex- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  159 

position  a  success,  it  was  due  them  that  they 
should  have  some  representation  on  the  pro 
gramme  on  the  opening  day.  This  suggestion  by 
Mr.  Penn  was  discussed  for  several  days  by  the 
Board  of  Directors,  none,  however,  seeming  to 
have  any  great  objection  to  it, — the  only  objec 
tion  being  that  they  feared  it  might  bring  upon 
the  Exposition  hurtful  criticism.  The  Board, 
however,  finally  voted  to  ask  some  Negro  to  de 
liver  an  address  at  the  opening  of  the  Exposition. 
Several  names  were  suggested,  but  in  some  man 
ner,  largely  I  think  due  to  Mr.  Penn,  my  name 
was  selected  by  the  Board,  and  in  due  time  I 
received  an  official  communication  from  the  Pres 
ident  of  the  Exposition  inviting  me  to  deliver  this 
address.  It  was  the  middle  of  August  when  I 
received  this  invitation.  The  -Exposition  was  to 
open  on  the  i8th  of  September.  The  papers 
throughout  the  country  began  at  once  discussing 
the  action  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in  inviting 
a  Negro  to  speak,  most  of  the  newspaper  com 
ments,  however,  being  favorable. 

The  delicacy  and  responsibility  of  my  position 
in  this  matter  can  be  appreciated  when  it  is 
known  that  this  was  the  first  time  in  the  history  of 
the  South  that  a  Negro  had  been  invited  to  take 
part  on  a  programme  with  white  Southern  peo 
ple  on  any  important  and  national  occasion.  Our 
race  should  not  neglect  to  give  due  credit  to  the 


160  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

courage  that  these  Atlanta  men  displayed  in  ex 
tending  this  invitation;  but  the  directors  had  told 
the  Negroes  from  the  beginning  that  they  would 
give  them  fullest  and  freest  opportunity  to  repre 
sent  themselves  in  a  creditable  manner  at  every 
stage  of  the  progress  of  the  Exposition,  and  from 
the  first  day  to  the  last  this  promise  was  kept. 

The  invitation  to  deliver  this  address  came  at 
a  time  when  I  am  very  busy  every  year  prepar 
ing  for  the  opening  of  the  new  school  year  at 
Tuskegee,  and  this  made  it  rather  difficult  for 
me  to  find  time  in  which  to  concentrate  my 
thoughts  upon  the  proper  preparation  of  an  im 
portant  address,  but  the  great  reponsibility  which 
had  been  entrusted  to  me  weighed  very  heavily 
on  me  from  day  to  day.  I  knew  that  what  I 
said  would  be  listened  to  by  Southern  white  peo 
ple,  by  people  of  my  own  race  and  by  Northern 
white  people.  I  was  determined  from  the  first 
not  to  say  anything  that  would  give  undue 
offense  to  the  South  and  thus  prevent  it  from 
thus  honoring  another  Negro  in  the  future.  And 
at  the  same  time  I  was  equally  determined  to  be 
true  to  the  North  and  to  the  interests  of  my  own 
race.  As  the  i8th  of  September  drew  nearer 
the  heavier  my  heart  became  and  the  more  I  felt 
that  my  address  would  prove  a  disappointment 
and  a  failure.  I  prepared  myself,  however,  as 
best  I  could.  After  preparing  the  address  I  went 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  161 

through  it  carefully,  as  I  usually  do  with  import 
ant  utterances,  with  Mrs.  Washington,  and  she 
approved  of  what  I  intended  to  say.  On  the  i6th 
of  September,  the  day  before  I  started  for  Atlan 
ta,  as  several  of  the  teachers  had  expressed  a 
desire  to  hear  my  address,  I  consented  to  read  it 
to  them  in  a  body.  When  I  had  done  so  and 
heard  their  criticisms  I  felt  more  encouraged,  as 
most  of  them  seemed  to  be  very  much  pleased 
with  it. 

On  the  morning  of  September  17,  1895,  to' 
gether  with  Mrs.  Washington,  Portia,  Baker  and 
Davidson,  my  children,  I  started  for  Atlanta. 
On  the  way  to  the  depot  from  the  school,  in  pass 
ing  through  Tuskegee,  I  happened  to  meet  a 
white  farmer  who  lived  some  distance  in  the 
country,  and  he  in  a  rather  joking  manner  said  to 
me,  "Washington,  you  have  spoken  with  success 
before  Northern  white  audiences,  and  before  Ne 
groes  in  the  South,  but  in  Atlanta  you  will  have 
to  speak  before  Northern  white  people,  Southern 
white  people  and  Negroes  altogether.  I  fear 
they  have  got  you  into  a  pretty  tight  place." 
This  farmer  diagnosed  the  situation  most  accur 
ately,  but  his  words  did  not  add  to  my  comfort  at 
that  time.  On  the  way  to  Atlanta  I  was  con 
stantly  surprised  by  having  both  colored  and 
white  people  come  to  the  cars,  stare  at  me  and 
point  me  out  and  discuss  in  my  hearing  what 


162  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

was  to  take  place  the  next  day.  In  Atlanta  we 
were  met  by  a  committee  of  colored  citizens.  The 
first  thing  I  heard  when  I  stepped  from  the  cars 
in  Atlanta  was  this  remark  by  an  old  colored 
man  near  by:  "That's  the  man  that's  gwine  to 
make  that  big  speech  out  at  the  Exposition  to 
morrow."  We  were  taken  to  our  boarding  place 
by  the  committee  and  remained  there  until  the 
next  morning.  Atlanta  was  literally  packed  at 
that  time  with  people  from  all  parts  of  the  coun 
try,  including  many  military  and  other  organiza 
tions.  The  afternoon  papers  contained  in  large 
head  lines  a  forecast  of  the  next  day's  proceed 
ings.  All  of  this  tended  to  add  to  the  burden 
that  was  pressing  heavily  upon  me. 

On  the  morning  of  the  day  that  the  Exposi 
tion  opened,  a  committee  of  colored  citizens 
called  at  my  boarding  place  to  escort  me  to  the 
point  where  I  was  to  take  my  place  in  the  proces 
sion,  which  was  to  march  to  the  Exposition 
grounds.  In  this  same  procession  was  Bishop 
W.  J.  Gaines,  Rev.  H.  H.  Proctor  and  other 
prominent  colored  citizens  of  Atlanta.  What  also 
added  to  the  interest  of  this  procession  was  the 
appearance  of  several  colored  military  organiza 
tions  which  marched  in  the  same  procession  with 
the  white  organizations.  It  was  very  noticeable 
that  in  the  arrangement  of  the  line  of  march 
the  white  officers  who  had  control  of  the  procession 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  163 

seemed  to  go  out  of  their  way  to  see  that  all  of 
the  colored  people  in  the  procession  were  prop 
erly  placed  and  properly  treated.  The  march 
through  the  streets  out  to  the  Exposition  grounds 
occupied  two  or  three  hours,  and,  as  the  sun  was 
shining  disagreeably  hot,  when  I  got  to  the  Ex 
position  I  felt  rather  fagged  out,  and  very  much 
feared  that  my  address  was  going  to  prove  a  com 
plete  failure. 

As  I  now  recall,  the  only  colored  persons  who 
had  seats  on  the  platform  were  Mr.  I.  Garland 
Penn,  the  Negro  Commissioner,  and  myself, 
though  of  course  there  were  hundreds  of  colored 
people  in  the  audience.  When  I  took  my  place 
on  the  platform  the  colored  portion  of  the  audi 
ence  cheered  vigorously,  and  there  were  faint 
cheers  from  some  of  the  white  people.  Ex-Gov 
ernor  Bullock,  of  Atlanta,  presided  at  the  opening 
exercises,  The  audience  room,  which  was  very 
large  and  well  suited  for  public  speaking,  was 
packed  with  humanity  from  bottom  to  top,  and 
thousands  were  on  the  outside  who  could  not 
get  in. 

A  white  gentleman  who  resides  in  the  North 
and  is  one  of  my  best  friends,  happened  to  be  in 
Atlanta  on  the  day  that  the  Exposition  opened. 
He  was  so  nervous  about  the  kind  of  reception  I 
would  receive  at  the  hands  of  the  audience  and 
the  effect  my  speech  would  produce  that  he  could 


164  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

not  bear  to  go  into  the  building,  but  walked 
around  the  building  on  the  outside  until  the  exer 
cises  were  over. 

Gilmore's  famous  band  played  several  stirring 
and  patriotic  airs,  after  which  Gov.  Bullock  arose 
and  delivered  a  short  opening  address  and  then 
the  speaking  occurred  in  the  following  order: 

Governor  Bullock  introduced  me  in  the  follow 
ing  words:  "We  have  with  us  to-day  the  repre 
sentative  of  Negro  enterprise  and  Negro  civil 
ization.  I  have  the  honor  to  introduce  to  you 
Prof.  Booker  T.  Washington,  principal  of  the 
Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute,  who 
will  formally  present  the  Negro  exhibit." 

After  his  introduction,  when  I  arose  to  speak, 
there  was  considerable  cheering  in  the  audience, 
especially  from  the  section  of  the  room  occupied 
by  my  own  people.  The  sun  was  shining  brightly 
in  my  face  and  I  had  to  move  about  a  good  deal 
on  the  platform  so  as  to  reach  a  position  that 
would  enable  me  to  escape  the  rays  of  the  sun. 
I  think  the  thing  at  the  present  time  that  I  am 
most  conscious  of  is  that  I  saw  thousands  of  eyes 
looking  intently  into  my  face.  From  the  moment 
I  was  introduced  until  the  end  of  my  address  I 
seemed  to  have  entirely  forgotten  myself.  The 
following  is  the  address  which  I  delivered : 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  165 

"Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Board  of 

Directors  and  Citizens: 

• 

u  One  third  of  the  population  of  the  South  is" 
of  the  Negro  race.  No  enterprise  seeking  the 
material,  civil,  or  moral  welfare  of  this  section 
can  disregard  this  element  of  our  population  and 
reach  the  highest  success.  I  but  convey  to  you, 
Mr.  President  and  Directors,  the  sentiment  of 
the  masses  of  my  race  when  I  say  that  in  no 
way  have  the  value  and  manhood  of  the  Ameri 
can  Negro  been  more  fittingly  and  generously 
recognized  than  by  the  managers  of  this  magnifi 
cent  Exposition  at  every  stage  of  its  progress. 
It  is  a  recognition  that  will  do  more  to  cement 
the  friendship  of  the  two  races  than  any  occur 
rence  since  the  dawn  of  our  freedom. 

"  Not  only  this,  but  the  opportunity  here 
afforded  will  awaken  among  us  a  new  era  of 
industrial  progress.  Ignorant  and  inexperienced, 
it  is  not  strange  that  in  the  first  years  of  our  new 
life  we  began  at  the  top  instead  of  at  the 
bottom;  that  a  seat  in  Congress  or  the  State 
Legislature  was  more  sought  than  real  estate  or 
industrial  skill;  that  the  political  convention  or 
stump  speaking  had  more  attractions  that  start 
ing  a  dairy  farm  or  truck  garden. 

"  A  ship  lost  at  sea  for  many  days  suddenly 
sighted  a  friendly  vessel.  From  the  mast  of  the 


166  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

unfortunate  vessel  was  seen  a  signal:  ' Water, 
water;  we  die  of  thirst!'  The  answer  from  the 
friendly  vessel  at  once  came  back :  (  Cast  down 
your*bucket  where  you  are.'  A  second  time  the 
signal,  '  Water,  water;  send  us  water!'  ran  up 
from  the  distressed  vessel,  and  was  answered: 
'  Cast  down  your  bucket  where  you  are.'  And  a 
third  and  fourth  signal  for  water  was  answered: 
'  Cast  down  your  bucket  where  you  are.'  The 
captain  of  the  distressed  vessel,  at  last  heeding 
the  injunction,  cast  down  his  bucket,  and  it  came 
up  full  of  fresh,  sparkling  water  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Amazon  River.  To  those  of  my  race  who 
depend  on  bettering  their  condition  in  a  foreign 
land,  or  who  underestimate  the  importance  of 
cultivating  friendly  relations  with  the  Southern 
white  man,  who  is  their  next  door  neighbor,  I 
would  say:  'Cast  down  your  bucket  where  you 
are' — cast  it  down  in  making  friends  in  every 
manly  way  of  the  people  of  all  races  by  whom 
we  are  surrounded. 

"  Cast  it  down  in  agriculture,  mechanics,  in 
commerce,  in  domestic  service,  and  in  the  pro 
fessions.  And  in  this  connection  it  is  well  to 
bear  in  mind  that  whatever  other  sins  the  South 
may  be  called  to  bear,  when  it  comes  to  busi 
ness,  pure  and  simple,  it  is  in  the  South  that  the 
Negro  is  given  a  man's  chance  in  the  commer 
cial  world,  and  in  nothing  is  this  Exposition 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  167 

more  eloquent  than  in  emphasizing  this  chance. 
Our  greatest  danger  is,  that  in  the  great  leap 
from  slavery  to  freedom  we  may  overlook  the 
fact  that  the  masses  of  us  are  to  live  by  the  pro 
ductions  of  our  hands,  and  fail  to  keep  in  mind 
that  we  shall  prosper  in  proportion  as  we  learn 
to  dignify  and  glorify  common  labor,  and  put 
brains  and  skill  into  the  common  occupations 
of  life;  shall  prosper  in  proportion  as  we  learn 
to  draw  the  line  between  the  superficial  and  the 
substantial,  the  ornamental  gewgaws  of  life  and 
the  useful.  No  race  can  prosper  till  it  learns 
that  there  is  as  much  dignity  in  tilling  a  field  as 
in  writing  a  poem.  It  is  at  the  bottom  of  life 
we  must  begin,  and  not  at  the  top.  Nor  should 
we  permit  our  grievances  to  overshadow  our 
opportunities. 

"  To  those  of  the  white  race  who  look  to 
the  incoming  of  those  of  foreign  birth  and 
strange  tongue  and  habits  for  the  prosperity  of 
the  South,  were  I  permitted  I  would  repeat  what 
I  say  to  my  own  race,  *  Cast  down  your  bucket 
where  you  are.'  Cast  it  down  among  the  8,000,- 
ooo  Negroes  whose  habits  you  know,  whose 
fidelity  and  love  you  have  tested  in  days  when 
to  have  proved  treacherous  meant  the  ruin  of 
your  firesides.  Cast  down  your  bucket  among 
these  people  who  have,  without  strikes  and  labor 
wars,  tilled  your  fields,  cleared  your  forests, 


168  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

builded  your  railroads  and  cities,  and  brought 
forth  treasures  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  and 
helped  make  possible  this  magnificent  representa 
tion  of  the  progress  of  the  South.  Casting  down 
your  bucket  among  my  people,  helping  and 
encouraging  them  as  you  are  doing  on  these 
grounds,  and  to  education  of  head,  hand  and 
heart,  you  will  find  that  they  will  buy  your 
surplus  land,  make  blossom  the  waste  places  in 
your  fields,  and  run  your  factories.  While  doing 
this,  you  can  be  sure  in  the  future,  as  in  the  past, 
that  you  and  your  families  will  be  surrounded  by 
the  most  patient,  faithful,  law-abiding,  and  unre- 
sentful  people  that  the  world  has  seen.  As  we 
have  proved  our  loyalty  to  'you  in  the  past,  in 
nursing  your  children,  watching  by  the  sick  bed 
of  your  mothers  and  fathers,  and  often  following 
them  with  tear-dimmed  eyes  to  their  graves,  so 
in  the  future,  in  our  humble  way,  we  shall  stand 
by  you  with  a  devotion  that  no  foreigner  can 
approach,  ready  to  lay  down  our  lives,  if  need 
be,  in  defense  of  yours,  interlacing  our  industrial, 
commercial,  civil,  and  religious  life  with  yours 
in  a  way  that  shall  make  the  interests  of  both 
races  one.  In  all  things  that  are  purely  social 
we  can  be  as  separate  as  the  fingers,  yet  one 
as  the  hand  in  all  things  essential  to  mutual 
progress. 

"  There  is  no  defense  or  security  for  any  of  us 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  169 

except  in  the  highest  intelligence  and  develop 
ment  of  all.  If  anywhere  there  are  efforts  tend 
ing  to  curtail  the  fullest  growth  of  the  Negro, 
let  these  efforts  be  turned  into  stimulating, 
encouraging,  and  making  him  the  most  useful 
and  intelligent  citizen.  Effort  .or  means  .  so 
invested  will  pay  a  thousand  per  cent  interest. 
These  efforts  will  be  twice  blessed — '  blessing 
him  that  gives  and  him  that  takes.' 

"  There  is  no  escape  through  law  of  man  or 
God  from  the  inevitable: 

1  The  laws  of  changeless  justice  bind 

Oppressor  with  oppressed ; 
And  close  as  sin  and  suffering  joined 
We  march  to  fate  abreast.' 

u  Nearly  sixteen  millions  of  hands  will  aid  you 
in  pulling  the  load  upwards,  or  they  will  pull 
against  you  the  load  downwards.  We  shall  con 
stitute  one-third  and  more  of  the  ignorance  and 
crime  of  the  South,  or  one-third  its  intelligence 
and  progress;  we  shall  contribute  one-third  to 
the  business  and  industrial  prosperity  of  the 
South,  or  we  shall  prove  a  veritable  body  of 
death,  stagnating,  depressing,  retarding  every 
effort  to  advance  the  body  politic. 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  Exposition,  as  we  present 
to  you  our  humble  effort  at  an  exhibition  of  our 
progress,  you  must  not  expect  overmuch.  Start- 


11 


170  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

ing  thirty  years  ago  with  ownership  here  and 
there  in  a  few  quilts  and  pumpkins  and  chickens 
(gathered  from  miscellaneous  sources),  remem 
ber  the  path  that  has  led  from  these  to  the  inven 
tion  and  production  of  agricultural  implements, 
buggies,  steam  engines,  newspapers,  books,  stat 
uary,  carving,  paintings,  the  management  of  drug 
stores  and  banks,  has  not  been  trodden  without 
contact  with  thorns  and  thistles.  While  we  take 
pride  in  what  we  exhibit  as  a  result  of  our  inde 
pendent  efforts,  we  do  not  for  a  moment  forget 
that  our  part  in  this  exhibition  would  fall  far 
short  of  your  expectations  but  for  the  constant 
help  that  has  come  to  our  educational  life,  not 
only  from  the  Southern  States,  but  especially 
from  Northern  philanthropists,  who  have  made 
their  gifts  a  constant  stream  of  blessing  and 
encouragement. 

"  The  wisest  among  my  race  understand  that 
the  agitation  of  questions  of  social  equality  is  the 
extremest  folly,  and  that  progress  in  the  enjoy 
ment  of  all  the  privileges  that  will  come  to  us 
must  be  the  result  of  severe  and  constant 
struggle  rather  than  of  artificial  forcing.  No 
race  that  has  anything  to  contribute  to  the 
markets  of  the  world  is  long  in  any  degree 
ostracized.  It  is  important  and  right  that  all 
privileges  of  the  law  be  ours,  but  it  is  vastly 
more  important  that  we  be  prepared  for  the 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  171 

exercise  of  those  privileges.  The  opportunity  to 
earn  a  dollar  in  a  factory  just  now  is  worth 
infinitely  more  than  the  opportunity  to  spend  a 
dollar  in  an  opera  house. 

"  In  conclusion,  may  I  repeat  that  nothing  in 
thirty  years  has  given  us  more  hope  and  encour 
agement,  and  drawn  us  so  near  to  you  of  the 
white  race,  as  this  opportunity  offered  by  the 
Exposition;  and  here  bending,  as  it  were,  over 
the  altar  that  represents  the  results  of  the  strug 
gles  of  your  race  and  mine,  both  starting  prac 
tically  empty-handed  three  decades  ago,  I  pledge 
that,  in  your  effort  to  work  out  the  great  and 
intricate  problem  which  God  has  laid  at  the 
doors  of  the  South,  you  shall  have  at  all  times 
the  patient,  sympathetic  help  of  my  race;  only 
let  this  be  constantly  in  mind  that,  while  from 
representations  in  these  buildings  of  the  product 
of  field,  of  forest,  of  mine,  of  factory,  letters,  and 
art,  much  good  will  come,  yet  far  above  and 
beyond  material  benefits  will  be  that  higher 
good,  that  let  us  pray  God  will  come,  in  a 
blotting  out  of  sectional  differences  and  racial 
animosities  and  suspicions,  in  a  determination  to 
administer  absolute  justice,  in  a  willing  obedi 
ence  among  all  classes  to  the  mandates  of  law. 
This,  coupled  with  our  material  prosperity,  will 
bring  into  our  beloved  South  a  new  heaven  and 
a  new  earth." 


172  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

Some  days  after  my  speech  in  Atlanta  at  the 
opening  of  the  Exposision  I  received  the  follow 
ing  letter  from  Dr.  Oilman,  President  of  Johns 
Hopkins  University,  who  was  chairman  of  the 
committee  of  jurors  in  connection  with  the  Ex 
position  : 

"JOHNS  HOPKINS  UNIVERSITY, 

"BALTIMORE,  Sept.  30,  1895. 
^President's  Office. 

"DEAR  MR.  WASHINGTON:  — 

"Would  it  be  agreeable  to  you  to  be  one  of  the 
Judges  of  Award  in  the  Department  of  Education 
at  Atlanta?  If  so,  I  shall  be  glad  to  place  your 
name  upon  the  list. 

Yours  very  truly, 

D.  C.  OILMAN. 
"A  line  by  telegraph  will  be  welcomed." 

I  was  more  surprised  to  receive  this  invitation 
to  act  on  the  board  of  jurors  than  to  receive  the  in 
vitation  to  speak  at  the  opening  of  the  Exposition, 
for  it  became  a  part  of  my  duty  as  one  of  the  jurors 
not  only  to  pass  on  the  exhibits  from  Negro  schools 
but  those  from  the  white  schools  as  well  through 
out  the  country.  I  accepted  this  position  and 
spent  a  month 'in  Atlanta  in  connection  with  my 
duties  as  one  of  the  jurors.  The  board  was  a 
large  one,  consisting  in  all  of  sixty  members,  in 
cluding  such  well  known  persons  as  the  follow 
ing:  Dr.  D.  C.  Gilman,  of  Johns  Hopkins  Uni- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  173 

versity;  Dr.  I.  S.  Hopkins,  secretary  of  the  jury 
and  president  of  the  Georgia  School  of  Technol 
ogy;  General  Henry  Abbott,  United  States 
engineer;  President  C.  K.  Adams,  president  of 
the  University  of  Wisconsin;  Chancellor  Chap 
lin,  Washington,  University  of  St.  Louis;  Presi 
dent  Charles  W.  Dabney,  of  the  University  of 
Virginia;  Miss  Grace  Dodge,  of  New  York;  Dr. 
Charles  Mohr,  an  expert  in  forestry,  of  Mobile; 
Mr.  Gofford  Pinchot,  Biltmore,  N.  C. ;  Professor 
Ira  Remsen,  editor  of  the  American  Journal  of 
Chemistry;  Professor  Eugene  A.  Smith,  state 
geologist  of  Alabama;  Professor  C.  P.  Vander- 
ford,  of  the  Univerity  of  Tennessee,  and  others 
equally  prominent. 

When  the  section  of  jurors  on  education  met 
for  organization  Mr.  Thomas  Nelson  Page,  the 
Southern  author,  who  was  a  member  of  the 
board,  made  a  motion  that  I  be  made  secretary 
of  the  section  on  education.  This  motion  was 
carried  without  a  dissenting  vote.  Nearly  half 
of  the  board  of  jurors  were  Southern  men.  We 
were  quite  intimately  associated  together  for  a 
month,  and  during  this  time  our  association  was 
most  pleasant  and  cordial  in  every  respect.  In 
performing  my  duty  in  connection  with  the 
inspection  of  the  exhibits  from  the  various  white 
institutions,  in  each  instance  I  was  treated  with 
the  greatest  respect.  At  the  close  of  our  labors 


174  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

a  large  photograph  of  the  group  of  jurors  was 
taken.  We  parted  from  each  other  with  the 
greatest  regret. 

In  making  up  their  awards  the  board  of  jurors 
awarded  but  three  gold  medals  to  institutions  of 
learning,  and  the  Tuskegee  school  got  one  of  the 
three.  As  I  was  a  member  of  the  board  I 
insisted  that  Tuskegee  should  not  be  permitted 
to  compete  for  a  medal,  but  I  was  overruled  in 
this,  and  the  medal  given,  regardless  of  my  pro 
tests.  The  exhibit  which  the  Tuskegee  Normal 
and  Industrial  Institute  made,  except  that  from 
the  Hampton  Institute,  was  the  largest  and  most 
comprehensive  in  the  Negro  Building. 

Without  referring  to  the  many  newspaper 
comments,  it  will  be  wisest  to  let  the  newspaper 
war  correspondent,  who  was  at  that  time  in 
Atlanta  as  a  representative  of  the  New  York 
World,  relate  the  impression  my  speech  seemed 
to  make.  He  wrote  the  following  for  the  World : 

"  Mrs.  Thompson,  head  of  the  Women's  De 
partment,  had  scarcely  taken  her  seat,  when  all 
eyes  were  turned  on  a  tall,  tawny  Negro  sitting 
in  the  front  row  on  the  platform.  It  was  Prof. 
Booker  T.  Washington,  president  of  the  Tuskegee 
(Ala.)  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute,  who  must 
rank  from  this  time  forth  as  the  foremost  man  of 
his  race  in  America.  Gilmore's  band  played  the 
'Star  Spangled  Banner,'  and  the  audience  cheered. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  175 

The  tune  was  changed  to  'Dixie/  and  the  audi 
ence  roared  with  shrill  ki-yi's.  Again  the  music 
changed  to  'Yankee  Doodle,'  and  the  clamor 
lessened. 

"All  this  time  the  eyes  of  thousands  looked 
straight  at  the  Negro  orator.  A  strange  thing, 
was  to  happen.  A  black  man  was  to  speak  for 
his  people  with  none  to  interrupt  him.  As  Prof. 
Washington  strode  toward  the  edge  of  the  stage, 
the  low,  descending  sun  shot  fiery  rays  through? 
the  window  into  his  face.  A  great  shout  greeted 
him.  He  turned  his  head  to  avoid  the  blinding 
light,  and  moved  about  the  platform  for  relief. 
Then  he  turned  his  powerful  countenance  to  the 
sun,  without  a  blink  of  the  eyelids,  and  began  to 
talk. 

"  There  was  a  remarkable  figure,  tall,  bony, 
straight  as  a  Sioux  chief,  high  forehead,  straight 
nose,  heavy  jaws,  and  strong,  determined  mouth, 
with  big  white  teeth,  piercing  eyes,  and  a  deter 
mined  manner.  The  sinews  stood  out  on  his 
bronzed  neck,  and  his  muscular  right  arm  swung 
high  in  the  air,  with  a  lead  pencil  grasped  in  the 
clenched  brown  fist.  His  big  feet  were  planted 
squarely,  with  the  heels  together  and  the  toes 
turned  out.  His  voice  rang  out  clear  and  true, 
and  he  paused  impressively  as  he  made  each 
point.  Within  ten  minutes  the  multitude  was  in 
an  uproar  of  enthusiasm,  handkerchiefs  waved, 


176  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

canes  flourished,  hats  tossed  in  the  air.  The  fair 
est  women  in  Georgia  stood  up  and  cheered.  It 
was  as  if  the  orator  had  bewitched  them. 

"And  when  he  held  his  dusky  hand  high  above 
his  head,  with  his  ringers  stretched  wide  apart, 
and  said  to  the  white  people  of  the  South  on  be 
half  of  his  race,  'In  all  things  that  are  purely 
social  we  can  be  as  separate  as  the  fingers;  yet 
one  as  the  hand  in  all  things  essential  to  social 
progress,'  the  great  wave  of  sound  dashed  itself 
against  the  walls,  and  the  whole  audience  was  on 
its  feet  in  a  delirium  of  applause,  and  I  thought 
at  that  moment  of  the  night  when  Henry  Grady 
stood  among  the  curling  wreaths  of  tobacco 
smoke  in  Delmonico's  banquet  hall  and  said,  <I 
am  a  Cavalier  among  Roundheads.' 

"  I  have  heard  the  great  orators  of  many  coun 
tries,  but  not  even  Gladstone  himself  could  have 
pleaded  a  cause  with  more  consummate  power  than 
this  angular  Negro  standing  in  a  nimbus  of  sun 
shine,  surrounded  by  the  men  who  once  fought  to 
keep  his  race  in  bondage.  The  roar  might  swell 
ever  so  high,  but  the  expression  of  his  face 
never  changed." 

"A  ragged,  ebony  giant,  squatted  on  the  floor 
in  one  of  the  aisles,  watched  the  orator  with 
burning  eyes  and  tremulous  face  until  the  supreme 
outburst  of  applause  came,  then  the  tears  ran 
down  his  face.  Most  of  the  Negroes  in  the  audi- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  177 

ence  were  crying,  perhaps  without  knowing  just 
why. 

"At  the  close  of  the  speech  Gov.  Bullock 
rushed  across  the  platform  and  seized  the  orator's 
hand.  Another  shout  greeted  this  demonstration, 
and  for  a  few  moments  the  two  men  stood  facing 
each  other,  hand  in  hand." 

The  papers  all  over  the  United  States  the  next 
day  after  the  speech,  and  for  months  afterwards, 
were  filled  with  the  most  complimentary  accounts 
of  and  comments  upon  this  speech.  I  will  quote 
also  a  letter  written  by  the  Hon.  Clark  Howell 
to  the  New  York  World  and  an  editorial  from 
the  Boston  Transcript,  also  two  articles  from 
colored  papers,  as  fair  samples  of  the  expressions 
that  were  made  throughout  the  country.  The 
letter  of  Mr.  Howell  was  as  follows : 

ATLANTA,  GA.,  September  19. 

"To  the  Editor  of  the  World: 

"I  do  not  exaggerate  when  I  say  that  Prof. 
Booker  T.  Washington's  address  yesterday  was 
one  of  the  most  notable  speeches,  both  as  to  char 
acter  and  the  warmth  of  its  reception,  ever  deliv 
ered  to  a  Southern  audience.  It  was  an  epoch- 
making  talk,  and  marks  distinctly  a  turning  point 
in  the  progress  of  the  Negro  race,  and  its  effect 
in  bringing  about  a  perfect  understanding  between 
whites  and  blacks  of  the  South  will  be  the  im- 


178  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

mediate.  The  address  was  a  revelation.  It  was 
the  first  time  that  a  Negro  orator  had  appeared 
on  a  similar  occasion  before  a  Southern  audience. 

"  The  propriety  of  inviting  a  representative  of 
the  Negro  race  to  participate  in  the  opening  ex 
ercises  was  fully  discussed  a  month  ago,  when  the 
opening  program  was  being  arranged.  Some 
opposition  was  manifested  on  account  of  the  fear 
that  public  sentiment  was  not  prepared  for  such 
an  advanced  step.  The  invitation,  however,  was 
extended  by  a  vote  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  and 
the  cordial  greeting  which  the  audience  gave 
Washington's  address  shows  that  the  board  made 
no  mistake.  There  was  not  a  line  in  the  address 
which  would  have  been  changed  by  the  most 
sensitive  of  those  who  thought  the  invitation  to 
be  imprudent.  The  whole  speech  is  a  platform 
on  which  the  whites  and  the  blacks  can  stand 
with  full  justice  to  each  race. 

"The  speech  is  a  full  vindication  from  the 
mouth  of  a  representative  Negro  of  the  doctrine 
so  eloquently  advanced  by  Grady  and  those  who 
have  agreed  with  him  that  it  is  to  the  South  that 
the  Negro  must  turn  for  his  best  friend,  and  that 
his  welfare  is  so  closely  identified  with  the  prog 
ress  of  the  white  people  of  the  South  that  each 
race  is  mutually  dependent  upon  the  other,  and 
that  the  so-called  'race  problem'  must  be  solved 
in  the  development  of  the  natural  relations  grow- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  179 

ing  out  of  the  association  between  the  whites  and 
blacks  of  the  South. 

"The  question  of  social  equality  is  eliminated 
as  a  factor  in  the  development  of  the  problem, 
and  the  situation  is  aptly  expressed  by  Washing 
ton  in  the  statement  that  '  in  all  things  that  are 
purely  social  we  can  be  as  separate  as  the  fingers, 
yet  one  as  the  hand  in  all  things  essential  to 
mutual  progress/ 

"The  speech  will  do  good,  and  the  unanimous 
approval  with  which  it  has  been  received  demon 
strates  the  fact  that  it  has  already  done  good. 

CLARK  HOWELL, 
Editor  of  the  'Constitution.'  " 

The  Boston  Transcript's  editorial  was  as  fol 
lows  : 

"The  speech  of  Mr.  Washington  at  the  Atlanta 
Exposition  this  week  seems  to  have  dwarfed  all 
the  other  proceedings  and  the  exhibition  itself. 
The  crowd  that  listened  to  it  were  carried  away 
with  enthusiasm,  and  the  sensation  it  has  caused 
in  the  press  has  rarely  been  equaled.  The 
Southern  papers  themselves  pronounce  it  epoch- 
making,  and  call  it  the  beginning  of  the  end  of 
the  war  between  the  races.  All  this  is  no  great 
surprise  to  those  who  have  kept  themselves  in 
formed  upon  the  development  of  industrial  and 
other  education  for  Negroes  in  the  Negro-popu- 


180  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

lated  districts  of  the  country.  Intelligent  and 
sympathetic  observers  have  long  been  aware  that 
it  was  through  the  silent  and  serious  and  steady 
work  of  the  school  for  the  Negroes  that  the  solu 
tion  of  the  race  problem  was  coming,  and  not 
through  the  passions  of  politics,  stirred  and  kept 
hot  by  tricky  professional  party  managers  for  use 
in  presidential  elections.  Mr.  Washington  is  no 
different  from  what  he  has  been:  he  is  saying  no 
more  than  he  and  his  backers  have  been  saying 
for  years.  But  he  is  a  great  revelation  to  those 
who  have  hitherto  regarded  the  Negro  question 
as  one  simply  calling  for  slang-whanging  partisan 
and  sectional  abuse  instead  of  philosophy,  patience 
and  study." 

The  editor  of  the  Texas  Freeman  wrote  as 
follows : 

"The  address  made  by  Booker  T.  Washington, 
Principal  of  the  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial 
Institute,  at  the  formal  opening  of  the  Cotton 
States  and  International  Exposition,  stamps  him 
as  a  most  worthy  representative  of  a  large  part  of 
the  country's  citizenship.  Without  resort  to 
hyperbolic  exaggeration,  it  is  but  simple  justice 
to  call  the  address  great.  It  was  great.  Great, 
in  that  it  exhibited  the  speaker's  qualities  of  head 
and  heart;  great,  that  he  could  and  did  discrimi 
natingly  recognize  conditions  as  they  affected  his 
people,  and  greater  still  in  the  absolute  modesty, 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  181 

self-respect  and  dignity  with  which  he  presented 
a  platform  upon  which  Clark  Howell,  of  the 
Atlanta  Constitution,  says,  'both  races,  blacks  and 
whites,  can  stand  with  full  justice  to  each.'  No 
better  selection,  among  the  whole  number  of  the 
race's  most  prominent  men,  could  have  been  made 
than  Prof.  Washington." 

The  Richmond  Planet  delivered  itself  as  fol 
lows: 

"The  speech  of  Prof.  Booker  T.  Washington  at 
the  opening  of  the  Atlanta  Exposition  was  a 
magnificent  effort  and  places  him  in  the  forefront 
of  the  representatives  of  our  race  in  this  country. 
Calm,  dispassionate,  logical,  winning,  it  captivated 
the  vast  assemblage  who  heard  it  and  caused  a 
re-echoing  sound  of  approval  on  the  part  of  those 
who  caught  the  rounded  sentences  and  rhetorical 
periods  as  they  were  flashed  over  the  wires. 

"Reserved  in  his  manner,  earnest  in  the 
delivery,  realizing  fully  the  heavy  responsibility 
resting  upon  him,  he  performed  that  duty  with  an 
ease  that  was  magnetic  and  grace  that  was 
divine." 

As  soon  as  I  had  finished  my  address,  the  first 
thing  that  I  remember  is  that  Gov.  Bullock  rushed 
across  the  stage  and  took  me  by  the  hand.  Others 
sitting  on  the  platform  did  the  same  thing. 
Following  my  address  came  a  brilliant  and 
eloquent  speech  from  Judge  Emory  Speer.  At 


182  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

the  close  of  his  address  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  Hon.  Grover  Cleveland,  touched  a  button 
in  Washington,  which  started  the  machinery  and 
the  Exposition  was  declared  open.  By  the  time 
the  exercises  in  the  Auditorium  were  finished  it 
Was  quite  late  in  the  afternoon  and,  in  fact,  dark. 
A  large  number  of  people,  both  Northern  and 
Southern,  together  with  numbers  of  colored 
people,  congratulated  me  most  heartily  on  my 
address;  in  fact,  I  found  it  quite  difficult  to  get 
out  of  the  building  or  away  from  the  Exposition 
grounds.  As  soon  as  possible  I  left  the  Exposition 
and  went  to  my  boarding  place. 

After  the  opening  exercises  a  reception  was 
tendered  me  by  some  of  the  colored  citizens  of 
Atlanta.  I  did  not  in  any  large  measure  appre 
ciate  the  excitement  and  deep  impression  that  my 
address  seemed  to  create  until  the  next  morning 
about  ten  o'clock  when  I  went  to  the  city  on  some 
errand.  As  soon  as  I  entered  the  business  por 
tion  of  Atlanta  I  was  surprised  to  find  myself 
pointed  out,  and  I  was  very  soon  surrounded  by  a 
crowd  of  people  who  were  bent  on  shaking  my 
hand  and  congratulating  me;  in  fact,  this  was 
kept  up  on  every  street  where  I  went,  until  I 
found  it  impossible  to  move  with  any  degree  of 
comfort  about  the  streets,  and  so  I  returned  to  my 
boarding  place.  In  a  few  hours  I  began  receiving 


BOOKER  T.WASHINGTON.  183 

telegrams  and  letters  from  all  parts  of  the 
country. 

One  thing  I  always  thought  was  rather 
strange  in  connection  with  this  address  and  that 
is  that  no  officer  connected  with  the  Exposition 
ever  asked  me  what  ground  I  was  going  to  cover 
in  my  speech,  or  ever  suggested  that  I  should  be 
careful  not  to  say  anything  which  would  harm  the 
relations  between  the  races  and  thus  cripple  the 
success  of  the  Exposition.  It  would,  of  course, 
have  been  very  easy  for  me  to  have  uttered  a 
single  sentence  which  would  have  thrown  a  wet 
blanket  over  the  prospects  of  the  Exposition 
and  especially  the  harmonious  relations  of  the 
races. 

The  next  morning  I  took  the  train  for  Tuske- 
gee.  At  the  depot  in  Atlanta  and  at  every  station 
between  Atlanta  and  Tuskegee  I  found  a  crowd 
of  people  anxious  to  shake  hands  .with  me  and 
who  were  pointed  out  to  me  making  remarks 
about  my  address. 

Some  days  after  I  returned  to  Tuskegee,  I  sent 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  Hon.  Grover 
Cleveland,  a  copy  of  the  address  I  delivered  at 
Atlanta,  and  was  very  much  surprised  as  well  as 
gratified  to  receive  from  him  a  letter  which  I  here 
insert : 


184  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

GRAY  GABLES, 

BUZZARD'S  BAY,  Mass.,  Oct.  6,  1895. 
BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON,  Esq.* 

MY  DEAR  SIR: — I  thank  you  for  sending  me  a 
copy  of  your  address  delivered  at  the  Atlanta 
Exposition. 

I  thank  you  with  much  enthusiasm  for  making 
the  address.  I  have  read  it  with  intense  interest, 
and  I  think  the  Exposition  would  be  fully  justified 
if  it  did  not  do  more  than  furnish  the  opportunity 
for  its  delivery.  Your  words  cannot  fail  to  de 
light  and  encourage  all  who  wish  well  for  your 
race;  and  if  our  colored  fellow  citizens  do  not 
from  your  utterances  gather  new  hope  and  form 
new  determinations  to  gain  every  valuable  advan 
tage  offered  them  by  their  citizenship,  it  will  be 
strange  indeed.  Yours  very  truly, 

GROVER  CLEVELAND. 

All  of  it  was  written  with  his  own  hand.  From 
that  time  until  the  present,  Mr.  Cleveland  has 
taken  the  deepest  interest  in  Tuskegee  and  has 
been  among  my  warmest  and  most  helpful  friends. 

After  I  returned  to  Tuskegee  I  continued  to  be 
deluged  with  letters  of  congratulation  and  en 
dorsement  of  my  position.  I  received  all  kinds 
of  propositions  from  lecture  bureaus,  editors  of 
magazines,  etc.,  to  take  the  lecture  platform  and 
write  articles.  One  lecture  bureau  went  as  far 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  185 

as  to  offer  me  $50,000,  or  $200  a  night,  if  I  would 
place  my  services  at  its  disposition  for  a  given 
period  of  time.  To  all  these  communications  I 
replied  that  my  life  work  was  at  Tuskegee,  and 
that  wherever  I  should  speak  it  must  be  in  the 
interest  of  my  race  and  the  institution  at  Tus 
kegee,  and  that  I  could  not  accept  any  engage 
ments  that  would  seem  to  place  a  mere  com 
mercial  value  on  my  addresses.  From  that  time 
until  the  present  I  have  continued  to  receive 
liberal  offers  from  lecture  bureaus  for  my  serv 
ices.  Only  a  few  weeks  ago  the  following  letter 
came  to  me,  but  I  have  continued  to  refuse,  as  I 
expect  to  do  in  the  future,  to  become  a  profes 
sional  lecturer  at  any  price: 

CENTRAL  LYCEUM  BUREAU, 
CHICAGO,  111.,  November  29,  1897. 
BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

MY  DEAR  SIR: — "If  you  will  give  us  exclusive 
control  of  your  lecture  business  for  next  summer 
and  winter,  season  of  1898-99,  I  am  confident  I 
can  make  you  more  money  than  you  have  made 
this  season  on  the  platform.  Would  you  consider 
an  offer  of  say  ten  thousand  dollars  and  all  expenses 
for  one  hundred  nights.  Please  let  me  hear  from 
you  and  oblige,  Yours  very  truly, 

FRED  PELHAM." 

Soon  after  receiving  the  letter  quoted  above,  I 
12 


186  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

received  a  proposition  from  a  lecture  bureau  in 
Boston  offering  me  at  the  rate  of  $200  per  night 
for  my  lectures  for  as  long  a  time  as  I  would  give 
them  my  services  at  this  rate,  but  I  declined. 
Although  I  refused  to  become  a  professional  lec 
turer  for  personal  gain,  I  did  not  keep  silent, 
but  continued  to  work  and  speak  in  behalf  of 
Tuskegee. 

In  the  fall  of  1895  I  continued  addressing  large 
audiences  in  the  states  of  Massachusetts,  New 
York,  Pennsylvania  and  in  the  Western  states. 
During  my  trip  to  the  West  I  addressed  the 
Hamilton  Club  and  was  its  guest  while  in  the 
city  of  Chicago.  The  Hamilton  Club  is  one  of 
the  largest  and  most  influential  political  organiza 
tions  of  Republican  faith  in  the  West.  While  in 
Chicago  for  the  purpose  of  addressing  the  Ham 
ilton  Club  I  was  invited  by  Dr.  Harper,  the 
president  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  to  deliver 
an  address  before  the  students  of  the  University, 
which  I  did  and  was  treated  with  great  considera 
tion  and  kindness  by  all  of  the  officers  of  the 
University. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

AN  APPEAL  FOR  JUSTICE. 

While  the  Atlanta  Exposition  was  in  progress, 
the  State  Constitutional  Convention  of  South 
Carolina  was  in  session,  having  been  convened 
for  the  specific  purpose  of  passing  a  law  that 
would  result  in  disfranchising  the  greater  pro 
portion  of  the  Negro  voters.  While  this  Con 
vention  was  in  session,  I  addressed  an  open  letter 
to  Senator  Benj.  Tillman  of  South  Carolina, 
which  read  as  follows: 

"I  am  no  politician.  I  never  made  a  political 
speech,  and  do  not  know  as  I  ever  shall  make 
one,  so  it  is  not  on  a  political  subject  that  I 
address  you.  I  was  born  a  slave;  you  a  free 
man.  I  am  but  an  humble  member  of  an 
unfortunate  race;  you  are  a  member  of  the 
greatest  legislative  body  on  earth,  and  of  the 
great  intelligent  Caucasian  race.  The  differ 
ence  between  us  is  great,  yet  I  do  not  believe 
you  will  scorn  the  appeal  I  make  to  you  in 
behalf  of  the  650,000  of  my  race  in  your  State, 
who  are  to-day  suppliants  at  your  feet,  and 
whose  destiny  and  progress  for  the  next  century 
you  hold  largely  in  your  hands.  I  have  been 
told  that  you  are  brave  and  generous,  and  one 

187    , 


188  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

too  great  to  harm  the  weak  and  dependent; 
that  you  represent  the  chivalry  of  the  South, 
which  has  claimed  no  higher  praise  than  that 
of  being  the  protectors  of  the  defenseless.  I 
address  you  because  1 1  believe  that  you  and 
those  associated  with  you  in  convention,  have 
been  misunderstood  in  the  following  dispatch  to 
a  number  of  papers: 

"  '  An  appalling  fact  that  may  not  be  obvious 
at  a  first  glance,  is  that  the  course  proposed 
means  the  end  of  Negro  education  and  Negro 
progress  in'  South  Carolina.  This  is  openly 
admitted  by  Senator  Tillman  and  his  friends.' 

"  It  has  been  said  that  the  truest  test  of  the 
civilization  of  a  race  is  the  desire  of  the  race 
to  assist  the  unfortunate.  Judged  by  this  stand 
ard,  the  Southern  States  as  a  whole  have  reason 
to  feel  proud  of  what  they  have  done  in  helping 
in  the  education  of  the  Negro. 

"  I  cannot  believe  that  on  the  eve  of  the  twen 
tieth  century,  when  there  is  more  enlightenment, 
more  generosity,  more  progress,  more  self- 
sacrifice,  more  love  for  humanity  than  ever 
existed  in  any  other  stage  of  the  world's  history, 
when  our  memories  are  pregnant  with  the  scenes 
that  took  place  at  Chattanooga  and  Missionary 
Ridge  but  a  few  days  ago,  where  brave  men 
who  wore  the  blue  and  gray  clasped  forgiving 
hands  and  pledged  that  henceforth  the  interests 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  189 

of  one  should  be  the  interests  of  all — while  the 
hearts  of  the  whole  South  are  centered  upon  the 
great  city  of  Atlanta,  where  Southern  people  are 
demonstrating  to  the  world  in  a  practical  way 
that  it  is  the  policy  of  the  South  to  help  and  not 
to  hinder  the  Negro — in  the  midst  of  all  these 
evidences  of  good  feeling  among  all  races  and  all 
sections  of  the  country,  I  cannot  believe  that  you 
and  your  fellow  members  are  engaged  in  con 
structing  laws  that  will  keep  650,000  of  my  weak, 
dependent  and  unfortunate  race  in  ignorance, 
poverty  and  crime. 

".You,  honored  Senator,  are  a  student  of  his 
tory.  Has  there  ever  been  a  race  that  was  helped 
by  ignorance?  Has  there  ever  been  a  race  that 
was  harmed  by  Christian  intelligence?  It  is 
agreed  by  some  that  the  Negro  schools  should  be 
practically  closed  because  he  cannot  bear  his  pro 
portion  of  this  burden  of  taxation.  Can  an 
ignorant  man  produce  taxable  property  faster 
than  an  intelligent  man?  Will  capital  and  immi 
gration  be  attracted  to  a  State  where  three  out  of 
four  are  ignorant  and  where  property  and  crime 
abound  ? 

"Within  a  dozen  years,  the  white  people  of 
South  Carolina  have  helped  in  the  education  of 
hundreds  of  colored  boys  and  girls  at  ClafHin 
University  and  smaller  schools.  Have  these 
educated  men  and  women  hindered  the  State  or 


190  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

hurt  its  reputation  ?  It  warms  my  heart  as  I  read 
the  messages  of  the  Governors  of  Alabama, 
Georgia  and  other  Southern  States,  and  note  their 
broad  and  statesman-like  appeals  for  the  educa 
tion  of  all  the  people,  none  being  so  black  or 
miserable  as  not  to  be  reached  by  the  beneficent 
hand  of  the  State. 

"Honored  Sir,  do  not  misunderstand  me;  I  am 
not  so  selfish  as  to  make  this  appeal  to  you  in  the 
interest  of  my  race  alone,  for,  thank  God,  a  white 
man  is  as  near  to  my  heart  as  a  black  man;  but  I 
appeal  to  you  in  the  interest  of  humanity.  '  What 
soever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap.'  It 
is  my  belief  that  were  it  the  purpose  of  your  con 
vention,  as  reported,  to  practically  close  Negro 
school-houses  by  limiting  the  support  of  these 
schools  to  the  paltry  tax  that  the  Negro  is  able  to 
pay  out  of  his  ignorance  and  poverty  after  but 
thirty  years  of  freedom,  his  school-houses  would 
not  close.  Let  the  world  know  it,  and  there 
would  be  such  an  inflowing  of  money  from  the 
pockets  of  the  charitable  from  all  sections  of  our 
country  and  other  countries,  as  would  keep  the 
light  of  the  school-houses  burning  on  every  hill 
and  in  every  valley  in  South  Carolina.  I  believe, 
Senator  Tillman,  that  you  are  too  great  and 
magnanimous  to  permit  this.  I  believe  the  peo 
ple  of  South  Carolina  prefer  to  have  a  large  part 
education  of  their  own  citizens;  prefer  to 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  191 

have  them  educated  to  feel  grateful  to .  South 
Carolina  for  the  larger  part  of  their  education 
rather  than  to  outside  parties  wholly.  This  ques 
tion  I  leave  with  you.  The  black  yeomanry  of 
your  State  will  be  educated.  Shall  South  Carolina 
do  it,  or  shall  it  be  left  to  others?  Here  in  my 
humble  home,  in  the  heart  of  the  South,  I  beg  to 
say  that  I  know  something  of  the  great  burden 
the  Southern  people  are  carrying  and  sympathize 
with  them,  and  I  feel  that  I  know  the  Southern 
people,  and  am  convinced  that  the  best  white 
people  in  South  Carolina  and  the  South  are  deter 
mined  to  help  lift  up  the  Negro. 

c<  In  addressing  you  this  simple  message,  I  am 
actuated  by  no  motive  save  a  desire  that  your 
State,  in  attempting  to  escape  a  burden,  shall  not 
add  one  that  will  be  ten  fold  more  grievous,  and 
that  we  all  shall  so  act  in  the  spirit  of  Him  who 
when  on  earth  went  about  doing  good,  that  we 
shall  have  in  every  part  of  our  beloved  South,  a 
contented,  intelligent  and  prosperous  people." 

Soon  after  the  Exposition,  in  reply  to  a  request 
from  the  editor,  I  addressed  the  following  letter 
to  the  Atlanta  Journal  on  the  benefits  of  the 
Exposition : 

"Without  doubt  the  Atlanta  Exposition  has 
helped  the  cause  of  the  Negro.  Before  the  event 
there  was  much  honest  difference  of  opinion 
among  members  of  the  race  as  to  the  advisability 


192  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

of  our  taking  any  part  whatever.  Many  of  the 
objectors  earnestly  advocated  by  word  of  mouth 
and  through  the  press  the  policy  of  'hands  off;' 
others  as  much  opposed  participation,  yet  kept 
silent,  and,  so  far  as  public  expression  was  con 
cerned,  maintained  a  neutral,  position.  From  the 
one  class  no  help  was  received  by  those  trying  to 
collect  an  exhibit;  from  the  other,  direct  opposi 
tion  was  encountered.  By  reason  of  these  dis 
advantages,  the  Negro  exhibit,  while  highly 
creditable  under  the  circumstances,  was  not  by 
any  means  what  it  would  have  been  had  there 
been  unanimity  of  purpose  and  concentrated 
action.  There  is,  however,  little  difference  of 
opinion,  either  within  the  race  or  outside  of  it,  as 
to  the  good  resulting  from  the  Negro's  part  in 
the  Exposition.  Many,  who  for  various  reasons 
did  not  sanction  a  Negro  exhibit,  are  inclined 
now  to  favor  our  embracing,  as  they  are  offered, 
these  opportunities  for  showing  of  what  we  are 
capable  along  the  various  lines  of  activity.  Others, 
still  holding  to  what  they  consider  the  logic  of 
their  position,  yet  concede  and  rejoice  in  the  good 
accomplished. 

"  In  the  first  instance,  this  Exposition  has  given 
the  colored  people  an  insight  into  their  ability  to 
accomplish  something  by  united  effort,  There 
are  two  points  to  consider  in  this  statement;  that 
the  colored  people  have  been  helped  to  a  fuller 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  193 

knowledge  of  their  capabilities,  and  that  they 
have  been  taught  a  practical  lesson  in  the  value 
of  co-operation.  Neither  of  these  points  can  be 
too  much  emphasized.  Without  self-confidence, 
self-respect,  a  certain  amount  of  self-assurance  of 
the  proper  kind,  nothing  can  be  achieved,  either 
by  an  individual  or  by  a  race.  We  must  believe 
in  ourselves,  if  we  would  have  people  believe  in 
us.  If  we  wonder,  'Can  any  good  thing  come 
out  of  Nazareth?'  what  must  we  expect  of  others? 

"  Of  but  little  less  importance  is  the  expressive 
example  afforded  of  the  power  of  co-operation. 
Mutual  distrust,  disinclination  to  unite  forces,  and 
inability  to  carry  on  concentrated  action,  belong 
to  the  dark  days  and  are  the  badges  of  inferiority. 
We  shall  rise  largely  in  proportion  as  we  learn  to 
join  hands  and  to  further  mutual  interests  by 
joint  action.  The  very  effort  to  do  something,  to 
make  something,  in  connection  with  the  Exposi 
tion,  regardless  of  intrinsic  value  of  the  thing 
produced  or  achieved,  has  been  helpful  and  de 
veloping  in  its  tendencies.  We  learn  by  doing 
and  'rise  on  stepping  stones  of  our  dead  selves  to 
higher  things.' 

"The  Exposition  has  given  also  thousands  of 
white  people,  North  and  South,  opportunities  to 
see  some  of  the  best  results  of  the  Negro's  ad 
vancement.  It  is  a  fact  that  has  been  always 
recognized  and  deplored  by  the  better  element  of 


194  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

the  colored  people,  that  most  white  people  see  and 
know  only  the  worse  phase  of  Negro  character. 
They  live  side  by  side  with  the  brother  in  black 
and  yet  have  no  acquaintance  with  him  beyond 
the  slight  knowledge  gained  of  those  serving  them 
in  menial  capacities.  So,  perhaps,  the  entire  race 
is  judged  by  a  few  individuals  who  have  had  little 
or  no  opportunities  for  advancement  along  any  of 
the  lines  that  make  for  a  higher  civilization.  The 
homes  of  culture,  the  work  of  the  school,  the 
progress  in  the  industries,  in  the  arts,  in  all  things 
that  tend  to  prove  the  Negro  a  man  among  men, 
have  been  as  a  sealed  book  to  the  vast  majority 
of  the  white  people  in  all  sections  of  our  country, 
and  the  adverse  judgments  that  have  been  formed 
as  to  the  Negro's  worth  and  ability  may  be  at 
tributed  more  to  an  unfortunate  ignorance  and 
blindness  on  the  subject  than  to  any  intention  or 
desire  to  be  unjust.  Of  no  class  of  people,  prob 
ably,  is  this  truer  than  of  the  class  commonly 
known  as  the  'poor  whites'  of  the  South.  It  was 
both  interesting  and  amusing  to  view  their  sur 
prise  as  they  entered  the  Negro  building  at  At 
lanta,  and  to  listen  to  the  exclamations  of 
astonishment  which  escaped  them  as  they  walked 
around  and  observed  the  exhibits.  'What,  this 
the  work  of  niggers!'  Race  prejudice  received  a 
heavy  blow  at  Atlanta.  The  white  man  left  with 
increased  respect  for  the  Negro,  and  he  will  show 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  195 

it  in  his  future  dealings  with  the  members  of  the 
race.  The  Negro  in  turn,  appreciative  of  the 
recognition  accorded  him,  will  entertain  more 
cordial  feelings  toward  those  showing  him  such 
consideration.  The  Exposition  brought  the  Ne 
gro  prominently  before  the  country.  The  atten 
tion  of  the  press  was  drawn  to  him.  Leading 
scientists  and  educators  sat  in  judgment  on  the 
products  of  his  brain  and  skill,  ranged  side  by 
side  with  those  of  his  white  competitors  for  hon 
ors.  His  position  as  a  part  of  the  body  politic  was 
emphasized  as  never  before.  The  impression  his 
exhibit  made  was  not  such  as  to  render  him,  in 
the  eyes  of  the  country,  less  desirable  as  a  citizen 
than  he  had  seemed  before.  On  the  contrary,  his 
capabilities  in  various  directions  have  been  strik 
ingly  exemplified  and  it  has  been  demonstrated 
that  he  can  measure  up  to  the  full  stature  of  a 
man. 

"As  might  have  been  anticipated,  the  showing 
made  by  the  school  was  the  most  creditable.  The 
friends  and  advancers  of  Negro  education  must 
have  felt  that  their  bounty  has  not  been  misplaced. 
Especially  must  the  great  heart  of  the  generous 
North  have  glowed  with  gratification.  It  is  an 
interesting  fact  that  out  of  the  four  highest 
awards,  that  of  the  gold  medal  made  to  educa 
tional  institutions,  two  went  to  colored  schools — 
Hampton  and  Tuskegee. 


196  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

"In  speaking  of  the  helpful  prominence  which 
the  Exposition  gave  to  the  Negro's  cause,  we 
must  not  omit  the  influence  of  the  Negro  con 
gresses.  The  very  presence  in  Atlanta  of  so 
many  well-dressed,  well-behaved,  intelligent  men 
and  women  of  African  descent,  speaks  loudly  in 
our  behalf.  Besides,  many  wise  words  were 
uttered  in  the  several  addresses  delivered  and  in 
the  discussions  which  followed,  and  in  all  modesty, 
we  think  that  we  may  claim  that  these  black  men 
and  women  made  less  perplexing  some  of  the  per 
plexing  questions  which  confront  us  as  a  nation. 

"Not  less  important  among  the  happy  results 
of  the  exposition  is  that  the  Southern  white  people 
and  the  Negro  have  learned  that  they  can  unite 
successfully  in  business  enterprises.  They  have 
been  shown  that  because  men  differ  on  some 
points  and  are  not  as  one  in  all  the  affairs  of  life, 
they  need  not  stand  entirely  aloof  from  one  an 
other.  They  may  meet  upon  the  level  ground  of 
a  common  interest  and  work  together  towards 
the  accomplishment  of  a  mutual  aim  without  loss 
of  dignity  or  self-respect  to  either. 

"The  exposition  has  encouraged  the  Negroes  to 
become,  more  than  ever  before,  producers.  They 
have  been  helped  to  realize,  as  they  may  not  have 
realized  before,  that  no  kind  of  toil  is  to  be  de 
spised,  that  in  every  branch  of  industry  the 
highest  degree  of  proficiency  should  be  sought, 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  197 

that  every  product  of  labor  is  valuable  in  propor 
tion  as  it  approaches  the  perfect  ideal  which 
should  animate  the  mind  of  every  worker.  Agri 
culture,  the  trades,  education,  the  arts,  have  all 
received  an  impetus  which  will  be  seen  in  the 
more  rapid  advancement  of  the  future.  Above 
all,  we  are  encouraged  now  by  the  certainty  that 
recognition  will  come  as  it  deserved.  It  is  not 
too  much  to  say  that  the  recognition  which  the 
Negro  received  at  Atlanta  was  the  natural  result 
of  the  development  he  has  made  during  these 
thirty  years  of  effort.  Further  opportunities  will 
present  themselves.  Already  other  expositions 
are  projected  whose  plans  include  a  prominent 
part  to  be  taken  by  the  Negro. 

"  'All  things  come  to  him  who  waits,'  but  the 
Negro  must  understand  that  he  must  work  and 
wait;  not  idly  rest  upon  his  oars.  We  must  not 
only  be  prepared  to  make  a  good  showing  when 
the  opportunity  comes  for  us  to  let  the  world  see 
what  in  us  lies,  but  each  opportunity  must  find  us 
better  prepared.  With  the  New  South  the  New 
Negro  must  arise  and  modestly,  manfully,  cour 
ageously,  take  his  place  in  the  march  of  progress. 
The  old  order  of  things  has  truly  passed  away, 
and  side  by  side,  white  men  and  black  men  must 
determine  to  work  out  their  destiny  to  a  success 
ful  issue." 

During  the  Fall  and  Winter  of  1895-96  I  ad- 


198  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

dressed  several  audiences  in  various  parts  of  the 
country,  notably  New  York,  Massachusetts  and 
Pennsylvania.  At  the  meeting  in  New  York, 
which  was  held  in  Broadway  Tabernacle,  Hon. 
Joseph  H.  Choate  presided.  I  also  addressed 
during  the  Winter  of  1896  the  Hamilton  Club  of 
Brooklyn,  New  York.  The  most  important 
meeting  which  I  attended,  however,  after  the 
Atlanta  Exposition,  was  a  large  meeting  held  in 
Carnegie  Hall,  New  York,  in  the  interest  of  the 
Presbyterian  Mission.  This  meeting  was  held 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
The  meeting  was  of  national  importance  in  its 
character,  and  the  entire  Presbyterian  Church 
throughout  the  country  was  interested  in  it.  The 
President  of  the  United  States,  Hon.  Grover 
Cleveland,  was  the  presiding  officer.  The  speak 
ers  included,  besides  the  President,  Rev.  T. 
DeWitt  Talmage,  D.  D.;  Rev.  Sheldon  Jackson, 
D.  D.,  and  myself.  The  hall  was  packed  from 
bottom  to  top  with  the  best  and  most  influential 
people  in  New  York  and  vicinity,  and  much  good 
seems  to  have  resulted  from  the  meeting.  The 
following  are  some  of  the  extracts  from  my  speech 
delivered  on  that  occasion: 

"My  word  to  you  to-night  will  be  based  upon 
a  humble  effort  during  the  last  fourteen  years  to 
better  the  condition  of  my  people  in  the  '  black 
belt '  of  the  South. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  199 

"  What  are  some  of  the  conditions  in  the  South 
that  need  your  urgent  help  and  attention?" 
Eighty-five  per  cent,  of  my  people  in  the  Gulf 
States  are  on  the  plantations  in  the  country  dis 
tricts,  where  a  large  majority  are  still  in 
ignorance,  without  habits  of  thrift  and  economy; 
are  in  debt,  mortgaging  their  crops  to  secure 
food;  paying,  or  attempting  to  pay,  a  rate  of 
interest  that  ranges  between  twenty  and  forty 
per  cent.;  living  in  one-room  cabins  on  rented 
land,  where  schools  are  in  session  in  these  country 
districts  from  three  to  four  months  in  the  year, 
taught  in  places,  as  a  rule,  that  have  little  re 
semblance  to  school  houses. 

"Each  colored  child  in* these  States  has  spent 
on  him  this  year,  for  education,  about  70  cents, 
while  each  child  in  Massachusetts  has  spent  on 
him  this  year,  for  education,  between  $18  and 
$20. 

"  What  state  of  morality  or  practical  Christian 
ity  you  may  expectPwhen  as  many  as  six,  eight, 
and  even  ten,  cook,  eat  and  sleep,  get  sick  and 
die  in  one  room,  I  need  not  explain.  But  what  is 
the  remedy  for  this  condition?  It  is  not  practical 
nor  desirable  that  the  North  attempt  to  educate, 
directly,  all  the  colored  people  in  the  South,  but 
the  North  can  and  should  help  the  South  educate 
the  strong  Christian  leaders  who  will  go  among 
our  people  and  show  them  how  to  lift  themselves 


200  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

up.  That  is  the  great  problem  before  us.  Can 
this  be  done?  If  in  the  providence  of  God  the 
Negro  got  any  good  out  of  slavery,  he  got  the 
habit  of  work.  Whether  the  call  for  labor  comes 
from  the  cotton  fields  of  Mississippi,  the  rice 
swamps  of  the  Carolinas,  or  the  sugar  bottoms  of 
Louisiana,  the  Negro  answers  the  call.  Yes,  toil 
is  the  badge  of  all  his  tribe,  but  the  trouble  centers 
here:  By  reason  of  his  ignorance  and  want  of 
training  he  does  not  know  how  to  utilize  the  re 
sults  of  his  labor.  My  people  do  not  need  charity, 
neither  do  they  ask  that  charity  be  scattered 
among  them.  Very  seldom  in  any  part  of  this 
country  do  you  see  a  black  hand  reached  out  for 
charity;  but  they  do  ask  that  through  Lincoln 
and  Biddle  and  Scotia  and  Hampton  and  Tuske- 
gee,  you  send  them  leaders  to  guide  and  stimulate 
them  till  they  are  able  to  walk." 

I  also  gave  it  as  my  opinion  that  the  American 
Church  has  never  yet  comprehended  its  duty  to 
the  millions  of  poor  whites  in*the  South.  I  said : 
"When  you  help  the  poor  whites,  you  help  the 
Negro.  So  long  as  the  poor  whites  are  ignorant, 
so  long  there  will  be  crime  against  the  Negro 
and  civilization." 

During  the  same  year  I  delivered  addresses 
in  several  Western  cities,  including  Chicago, 
Minneapolis,  St.  Paul,  Milwaukee,  etc. 

Immediately    after    my   address   in   Carnegie 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  203 

Hall,  on  the  evening  of  March  3,  I  took  the 
train  in  order  to  be  present  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Negro  Conference  which  occurred  on  March  5, 
and  arrived  in  Tuskegee  just  in  time  to  take  part 
in  the  discussion  of  this  meeting. 

Soon  after  my  address  at  the  opening  of  the 
Atlanta  Exposition  there  began  to  appear  adverse 
criticisms  in  some  of  the  colored  papers  regarding 
the  position  I  had  taken  in  my  address.  Some  of 
these  colored  papers  felt  that  I  had  been  entirely 
too  liberal  towards  the  South.  I  gave  no  special 
attention  to  these  criticisms,  but  in  March,  1896, 
I  accepted  an  invitation  to  speak  before  the  Bethel 
Literary  Association  in  Washington.  This,  I 
think,  is  by  far  the  most  cultured  Literary  organ 
ization  in  existence  among  our  people,  and 
Washington  city  had  been  the  center  of  a  good 
part  of  the  criticisms  on  my  Atlanta  speech,  so  I 
felt  that  that  city  would  be  a  good  place  in  which 
to  make  my  position  more  clearly  understood  and 
to  emphasize  my  views.  On  the  evening  that  I 
spoke  in  Washington,  the  meeting  was  held  in  the 
Auditorium  of  the  Metropolitan  Church,  and  I 
hardly  need  say  that  the  building  was  full  to  such 
an  extent  that  many  were  unable  to  find  seats.  In 
my  address  before  the  Literary  Society  I  took 
very  much  the  same  position  I  had  taken  in  my 
address  at  Atlanta,  but  of  course  went  more  into 


J204  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

detail.  After  my  speech,  those  who  heard  me 
Deemed  to  be  entirely  satisfied  with  my  position, 
and  the  newspapers  which  had  been  criticising 
me,  in  a  large  measure,  ceased  to  do  so. 


CHAPTER  XII, 

HONORED  BY  HARVARD  UNIVERSITY. 

One  of  the  most  helpful  things  accomplished 
during  the  year  1896  was  an  exhibit  of  the 
industrial  products  of  the  Tuskegee  Institute  made 
in  New  York  City,  Boston  and  Philadelphia,  in 
connection  with  a  similar  exhibit  from  the 
Hampton  Institute.  The  Armstrong  Associa 
tion  in  New  York  City  was  instrumental  in 
bringing  about  this  exhibit.  A  large  number  of 
people  who  had  no  idea  of  the  extent  of  our 
industrial  work  had  an  opportunity  at  these 
exhibits  to  see  for  themselves  just  what  was 
being  done  by  Hampton  and  Tuskegee.  Our 
industrial  exhibit  included  wagons,  carriages  and 
wearing  apparel  of  all  kinds,  manufactured  by 
the  students.  The  exhibit,  however,  was  not 
confined  to  industrial  products,  but  a  thorough 
exhibit  of  academic  work  was  also  made. 

Some  people  have  an  idea  that  because  indus 
trial  education  is  emphasized  at  Tuskegee  and 
Hampton  very  little  attention  is  given  to  the 
academic  training.  This  is  an  error.  A  close 
examination  will  prove  that  both  at  Hampton 
and  Tuskegee  the  academic  training  is  very 
thorough  and  far-reaching;  in  fact,  I  for  some 

205 


206  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 


PRESIDENT  ELIOT  CONFERRING  HONORARY  DEGREE  UPON 

MR.  WASHINGTON  AT  HARVARD  UNIVERSITY, 

JUNE  34,  1896. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  207 

time  have  been  conscious  of  tHe  fact  that  if  we 
had  only  called  this  institution  "University"  or 
''College"  and  had  given  the  same  course  of 
training  that  we  now  give  we  would  have  met 
with  no  criticism  on  account  of  not  giving  more 
academic  training.  We  are  thoroughly  imbued 
with  the  ide*»  that  a  little  training  thoroughly 
given  goes  farther  than  to  attempt  to  cover  a 
great  deal  of  ground  poorly.  Education  after 
all  is  only  valuable  in  giving  mental  grasp  and 
culture. 

Several  times  I  have  been  asked  what  was  the 
most  surprising  incident  in  my  life.  I  have  no 
hesitation  in  saying  that  it  was  the  following  let 
ter  from  Harvard  University,  asking  me  to  be 
present  at  the  commencement  at  Harvard  in 
June,  1896,  for  the  purpose  of  having  an  honorary 
degree  conferred  upon  me. 

Up  to  the  time  of  receiving  this  letter  I  had 
not  the  faintest  idea  that  any  college,  much  less 
the  oldest  and  highest  educational  institution  in 
the  country,  was  about  to  or  would  ever  confer 
upon  me  any  honorary  degree.  It  took  me,  of 
course,  greatly  by  surprise. 

Commencement  day  at  Harvard,  June  24, 
1896,  was  a  memorable  one,  certainly  one  that  I 
shall  never  forget.  At  the  appointed  hour  I  met 
President  Eliot  and  the  overseers  of  the  College 
at  the  designated  place  on  the  grounds  for  the 


208  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

purpose  of  being  escorted  in  company  with  others 
to  Sander's  Theatre,  where  the  commencement 
exercises  were  to  take  place  and  the  degrees  to 
be  conferred.  In  addition  to  the  degree  to  be 
conferred  on  me,  among  others  Major-Gen.  Nel 
son  A.  Miles,  the  Commander  of  the  United 
States  Army,  Dr.  Bell,  the  inventor  of  the  Bell 
telephone  system,  Dr.  M.  J.  Savage  of  Boston, 
and  others,  were  invited  to  be  present  at  com 
mencement  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  degrees. 
We  were  assigned  places  in  the  line  of  march 
immediately  behind  the  President  and  Overseers. 
As  soon  as  we  were  placed  in  the  line  the  Govern 
or  of  Massachusetts,  escorted  by  the  Lancers, 
arrived,  and  was  assigned  to  the  head  of  the  line 
of  march  by  the  side  of  President  Eliot.  In  this 
order,  accompanied  by  the  various  officers  clad 
in  caps  and  gowns,  we  marched  to  Sander's 
Theatre.  After  the  usual  commencement  exer 
cises  the  time  for  the  conferring  of  honorary  de 
grees  came.  This  at  Harvard  is  always  the  most 
interesting  and  exciting  feature  of  commencement, 
owing  largely  to  the  fact  that  no  one  knows  until 
commencement  day  on  whom  honorary  degrees 
are  to  be  conferred,  and  as  each  name  is  called  for 
an  honorary  degree  the  expectation  rises  to  the 
highest  pitch  and  the  individuals  receive  cheers 
and  applause  in  proportion  as  they  are  popular  at 
the  college.  When  it  came  my  turn  I  arose  and 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  209 

President  Eliot  conferred  upon  me  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts  in  appropriate  language.  The 
whole  ceremony  for  the  first  time  at  Harvard  was 
performed  in  English. 

At  the  close  of  the  commencement  exercises  I 
was  invited  with  Gen.  Miles  and  others  receiving 
honorary  degrees  to  lunch  with  President  Eliot. 
After  the  lunch  at  the  residence  of  the  President 
we  were  formed  into  line  again  and  were  escorted 
under  the  guidance  of  the  Marshal  of  the  Day, 
who  in  this  case  happened  to  be  Bishop  Lawrence 
of  Massachusetts,  through  the  grounds,  in  which 
at  different  points  we  were  met  and  cheered  by 
the  students,  each  individual  who  had  received 
an  honorary  degree  receiving  the  Harvard  yell. 
The  most  interesting  feature  of  that  day  was  the 
Alumni  Dinner,  which  occurred  at  the  close  of 
our  march  through  the  grounds.  This  dinner 
was  served  in  Memorial  Hall,  and,  I  think,  was 
attended  by  at  least  a  thousand  graduates  of 
Harvard  from  all  sections  of  the  country,  many  of 
them  eminent  in  affairs  of  state,  religion  and  the 
field  of  letters.  Among  the  speakers  at  the 
Alumni  Dinner  were  Governor  Roger  A.  Wol- 
cott,  Senator  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Gen.  Nelson 
A.  Miles,  Dr.  Savage  and  others.  When  I  was 
called  upon  to  speak  at  the  Alumni  Dinner  I 
delivered  the  following  address: 


210  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

*> 

"Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen: — 

"  It  would  in  some  measure  relieve  my  embar 
rassment  if  I  could,  even  in  a  slight  degree,  feel 
myself  worthy  of  the  great  honor  which  you  do 
me  to-day.  Why  you  have  called  me  from  the 
Black  Belt  of  the  South,  from  among  my  humble 
people,  to  share  in  the  honors  of  this  occasion,  is 
not  for  me  to  explain;  and  yet  it  may  not  be 
inappropriate  for  me  to  suggest  that  it  seems  to 
me  that  one  of  the  most  vital  questions  that  touch 
our  American  life,  is  how  to  bring  the  strong, 
wealthy  and  learned  into  helpful  touch  with  the 
poorest,  most  ignorant  and  humblest,  and  at  the 
same  time  make  the  one  appreciate  the  vitalizing, 
strengthening  influence  of  the  other.  How  shall 
we  make  the  mansions  on  yon  Beacon  street  feel 
and  see  the  need  of  the  spirits  in  the  lowliest  cabin 
in  Alabama  cotton  fields  or  Louisiana  sugar  bot 
toms?  This  problem  Harvard  University  is 
solving,  not  by  bringing  itself  down,  but  by 
bringing  the  masses  up. 

"If  through  me,  an  humble  representative, 
seven  millions  of  my  people  in  the  South  might 
be  permitted  to  send  a  message  to  Harvard- 
Harvard  that  offered  up  on  death's  altar  young 
Shaw,  and  Russell,  and  Lowell,  and  scores  of 
others,  that  we  might  have  a  free  and  united 
country — that  message  would  be,  'Tell  them  that 
the  sacrifice  was  not  in  vain.  Tell  them  that  by 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  211 

habits  of  thrift  and  economy,  by  way  of  the  indus 
trial  school  and  college,  we  are  coming.  We  are 
crawling  up,  working  up,  yea,  bursting  up.  Often 
through  oppression,  unjust  discrimination  and 
prejudice,  but  through  them  all  we  are  coming 
up,  and  with  proper  habits,  intelligence  and 
property,  there  is  no  power  on  earth  that  can 
permanently  stay  our  progress/ 

"If  my  life  in  the  past  has  meant  anything  in 
the  lifting  up  of  my  people  and  the  bringing  about 
of  better  relations  between  your  race  and  mine,  I 
assure  you  from  this  day  it  will  mean  doubly 
more.  In  the  economy  of  God  there  is  but  one 
standard  by  which  an  individual  can  succeed — 
there  is  but  one  for  a  race.  This  country  de 
mands  that  every  race  shall  measure  itself  by  the 
American  standard.  By  it  a  race  must  rise  or 
fall,  succeed  or  fail,  and  in  the  last  analysis  mere 
sentiment  counts  for  little.  During  the  next  half 
century  and  more,  my  race  must  continue  passing 
through  the  severe  American  crucible.  We  are 
to  be  tested  in  our  patience,  our  forbearance,  our 
perseverence,  our  power  to  endure  wrong,  to 
withstand  temptations,  to  economize,  to  acquire 
and  use  skill ;  in  our  ability  to  compete,  to  succeed 
in  commerce,  to  disregard  the  superficial  for  the 
real,  the  appearance  for  the  substance,  to  be  great 
and  yet  small,  learned  and  yet  simple,  high  and 
yet  the  servant  of  all.  This,  this  is  the  passport 


212  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

to  all  that  is  best  in  the  life  of  our  republic,  and 
the  Negro  must  possess  it,  or  be  debarred. 

uWhile  we  are  thus  being  tested,  I  beg  of  you 
to  remember  that  wherever  our  life  touches 
yours,  we  help  or  hinder.  Wherever  your  life 
touches  ours,  you  make  us  stronger  or  weaker. 
No  member  of  your  race  in  any  part  of  our 
country  can  harm  the  meanest  member  of  mine 
without  the  proudest  and  bluest  blood  in  Massa 
chusetts  being  degraded.  When  Mississippi 
commits  crime,  New  England  commits  crime, 
and  in  so  much,  lowers  the  standard  of  your  civil 
ization.  There  is  no  escape — man  drags  man 
down,  or  man  lifts  man  up. 

"In  working  out  our  destiny,  while  the  main 
burden  and  center  of  activity  must  be  with  us, 
we  shall  need,  in  a  large  measure  in  the  years 
that  are  to  come  as  we  have  in  the  past,  the 
help,  the  encouragement,  the  guidance  that  the 
strong  can  give  the  weak.  Thus  helped,  we  of 
both  races  in  the  South,  soon  shall  throw  off  the 
shackles  of  racial  and  sectional  prejudice  and 
rise,  as  Harvard  University  has  risen  and  as  we 
all  should  rise,  above  the  clouds  of  ignorance, 
narrowness  and  selfishness,  into  that  atmosphere, 
that  pure  sunshine,  where  it  will  be  our  highest 
ambition  to  serve  man,  our  brother,  regardless 
of  race  or  previous  condition." 

As  this  was  the  first  time   that   an   honorary 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  213 

degree  had  ever  been  conferred  upon  a  Negro  by 
any  university  in  New  England,  of  course  it  occa 
sioned  a  great  deal  of  newspaper  comment 
throughout  the  country.  I  think  I  shall  not  speak 
further  of  the  occurrence,  but  will  insert  a  few 
newspaper  clippings  that  will  tell  the  story  per. 
haps  better  than  I  feel  like  doing  it. 

Mr.  Thos.  J.  Galloway,  who  was  present  on 
this  occasion,  wrote  as  follows  to  the  Colored 
American : 

"First  in  the  history  of  America  a  leading 
American  university  confers  an  honorary  degree 
upon  a  colored  man.  Harvard  has  been  always 
to  the  front  in  ideas  of  liberty,  freedom  and 
equality.  When  other  colleges  of  the  North 
are  accepting  the  Negro  as  a  tolerance, 
Harvard  has  been  awarding  him  honors,  as  in  the 
case  of  Clement  G.  Morgan  of  recent  date.  Her 
present  action,  therefore,  in  placing  an  honorary 
crown  upon  the  worthy  head  of  Mr.  Washington 
is  but  a  step  further  in  her  magnanimity  in  recog 
nizing  merit  under  whatever  color  of  skin. 

"The  mere  announcement  of  this  event  is  # 
great  testimony  to  the  standing  of  Mr.  Washing 
ton,  but  to  any  black  person  who,  as  I  did,  saw 
and  heard  the  enthusiasm  and  applause  with 
which  the  audience  cheered  the  announcement  by 
President  Eliot,  the  degree  itself  was  insignificant. 
The  Boston  Lancers  had  conducted  Gov.  Wol- 


214  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

cott  to  Cambridge,  and  500  Harvard  graduates 
had  double  filed  the  march  to  Sander's  Theatre. 
It  was  a  great  day.  Latin  orations,  disquisitions, 
dissertations  and  essays  in  English  were  delivered 
by  selected  graduates,  clad  in  stately  and  classic 
cap  and  gown.  Bishops,  generals,  commodores, 
statesmen,  authors,  poets,  explorers,  millionaires 
and  noted  men  of  every  calling,  sat  as  earnest 
listeners.  President  Eliot  had  issued  500  diplo 
mas  by  handing  them  to  representatives  of  the 
graduates  in  bundles  of  twenty  to  twenty-five. 
Then  came  the  awarding  of  honorary  degrees. 
Thirteen  were  issued,  Bishop  Vincent  and  Gen 
eral  Nelson  A.  Miles,  commander  of  the  United 
States  Army,  being  among  the  recipients.  When 
the  name  of  Booker  T.  Washington  was  called, 
and  he  arose  to  acknowledge  and  accept,  there 
was  such  an  outburst  of  applause  as  greeted  no 
other  name  except  that  of  the  popular  soldier 
patriot,  General  Miles.  The  applause  was  not 
studied  and  stiff,  sympathetic  and  condoling;  it  was 
enthusiasm  and  admiration.  Every  part  of  the 
audience  from  pit  to  gallery  joined  in,  and  a  glow 
covered  the  cheeks  of  those  around  me,  proving 
that  sincere  appreciation  of  the  rising  struggle  of 
an  ex-slave  and  the  work  he  has  accomplished  for 
his  race. 

"But  the  event  of  the  day  was  the  Alumni  Din 
ner,  when   speeches   formed  the  most  enjoyable 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  215 

bill  of  fare.  Two  hundred  Harvard  alumni  and 
their  invited  guests  partook  of  their  annual  din 
ner.  Four  or  five  speeches  were  made,  among 
them  one  from  Mr.  Washington. 

"At  the  close  of  the  speaking,  notwithstanding 
Senator  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Dr.  Minot  J.  Savage 
and  others  had  spoken,  President  Eliot  warmly 
grasped  Mr.  Washington  by  the  hand  and  told 
him  that  his  was  the  best  speech  of  the  day." 

Anent  the  conferring  of  the  degree  and  the 
toast,  the  papers  were  unusual  in  favorable  com 
ment.  Says  the  Boston  Post: 

"In  conferring  the  honorary  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts  upon  the  principal  of  Tuskegee  Institute, 
Harvard  University  has  honored  itself  as  well  as 
the  object  of  this  distinction.  The  work  which 
Prof.  Booker  T.  Washington  has  accomplished 
for  the  education,  good  citizenship  and  popular 
enlightenment  in  his  chosen  field  of  labor  in  the 
South,  entitles  him  to  rank  with  our  national  bene 
factors.  The  university  which  can  claim  him  on 
its  list  of  sons,  whether  in  regular  course  or  hon 
oris  causa,  may  be  proud. 

"  It  has  been  mentioned  that  Mr.  Washington 
is  the  first  of  his  race  to  receive  an  honorary  de 
gree  from  a  New  England  University.  This,  in 
itself,  is  a  distinction.  But  the  degree  was  not 
conferred  because  Mr.  Washington  is  a  colored 
man,  or  because  he  was  born  in  slavery,  but  be- 


216  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

cause  he  has  shown,  by  his  work  for  the  elevation 
of  the  people  of  the  Black  Belt  of  the  South,  a 
genius  and  a  broad  humanity  which  count  for 
greatness  in  any  man,  whether  his  skin  be  white 
or  black." 

The  Boston  Globe  said:  "It  is  Harvard 
which,  first  among  New  England  colleges,  con 
fers  an  honorary  degree  upon  a  black  man.  No 
one  who  has  followed  the  history  of  Tuskegee  and 
its  work,  can  fail  to  admire  the  courage,  per 
sistence  and  splendid  common  sense  of  Booker  T. 
Washington.  Well  may  Harvard  honor  the  ex- 
slave,  the  value  of  whose  services,  alike  to  his 
race  and  country,  only  the  future  can  estimate." 

The  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Times 
wrote:  "All  the  speeches  were  enthusiastically 
received,  but  the  colored  man  carried  off  the 
oratorical  honors,  and  the  applause  which  broke 
out  when  he  had  finished,  was  vociferous  and 
long  continued." 

In  July  of  the  same  year  I  delivered  one  of  the 
addresses  before  the  National  Christian  Endeavor 
Convention  which  met  in  Washington.  This 
meeting  of  the  Christian  Endeavor  Society  was 
attended  by  thousands  of  people  from  all  sections 
of  the  country  and  some  from  foreign  countries. 
I  remember  that  in  order  to  be  present  in  tkne  to 
speak  at  this  meeting,  I  had  to  make  a  long  and 
tiresome  trip  from  Spirit  Lake,  Iowa,  to  Wash- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  217 

ington,  and  reached  Washington  rather  late  in 
the  evening.  In  fact,  when  I  got  to  the  church 
where  I  was  to  speak,  I  found  President  F.  E. 
Clark  and  the  audience  rather  nervous  about  my 
appearance.  I  found  it  a  difficult  matter  to  get 
into  the  room,  owing  to  the  fact  that  every  seat 
was  taken  and  the  aisles  were  full  and  the  people 
on  the  outside  of  the  church  were  clamoring  for 
entrance.  My  address  was  finished  about  10 
o'clock  that  evening.  At  n  o'clock  I  took  a 
train  for  Buffalo,  New  York,  where  I  was  to 
speak  the  next  night  before  the  National  Educa 
tional  Association,  where  20,000  teachers  were 
present.  As  I  now  recall  the  incident,  I  think 
these  two  meetings  caused  me  perhaps  as  great 
mental  strain  and  anxiety  as  I  have  ever  ex 
perienced.  I  had  to  prepare  special  and  set  ad 
dresses  for  each  meeting,  and  coming,  as  they 
did,  so  near  together,  any  one  who  has  had  ex 
perience  in  public  speaking  can  easily  imagine 
the  difficulty  with  which  I  had  to  contend.  I 
will  give  one  or  two  short  newspaper  extracts 
that  may  convey  an  idea  of  the  effect  of  these  two 
addresses. 

The  Buffalo  Express  gave  expression  in  part  as 
follows : 

"  It  was  a  great  close.  It  began  with  music 
and  it  ended  with  music.  Not  a  false  note  was 
struck.  Every  tone  rang  true,  and  when  the 


218  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

gavel  rose  for  the  final  fall,  the  audience  rose  with 
it,  and  with  one  mighty  voice  sang  'America.' 
All  credit  is  due  to  Booker  T.  Washington  for 
the  keying  up  of  the  spirit  that  dominated  the 
vast  audience.  His  address  was  magnificent. 
There  was  nothing  of  speculation,  nothing  of 
theory,  nothing  of  supposition  in  his  speech.  It 
was  a  truthful,  convincing  statement  of  the  con 
dition  of  the  Negro  and  the  remedy  for  his 
wrongs.  It  teemed  with  humor  and  was  arrayed 
in  a  splendid  cloak  of  eloquence.  The  audience 
was  larger  than  at  any  of  the  other  sessions.  An 
overflow  meeting  was  held  in  Concert  Hall,  at 
which  the  addresses  of  the  closing  session  were  re 
peated.  The  overflow  meeting  overflowed,  and 
over  2,000  people  were  turned  away.  A  thousand 
lingered  outside  until  the  convention  ended." 

On  July  1 2th  the  Buffalo  Courier  contained 
the  following: 

u  Booker  T.  Washington,  the  foremost  educa 
tor  among  the  colored  people  of  the  world,  was  a 
very  busy  man  from  the  time  he  arrived  in  the 
city  the  other  night  from  the  West,  and  registered 
at  the  Iroquois.  He  had  hardly  removed  the 
stains  of  travel  when  it  was  time  to  partake  of 
supper.  Then  he  held  a  public  levee  in  the  par 
lors  of  the  Iroquois  until  8  o'clock.  During  that 
time  he  was  greeted  by  over  200  eminent 
teachers  and  educators  from  all  parts  of  the 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  221 

United  States.  Shortly  after  8  o'clock,  he  was 
driven  in  a  carriage  to  Music  Hall,  and  in  one 
hour  and  a  half  he  made  two  ringing  addresses, 
to  as  many  as  5,000  people,  on  Negro  education. 
Then  Mr.  Washington  was  taken  in  charge  by  a 
delegation  of  colored  citizens,  headed  by  the  Rev. 
Mr..  Watkins,  and  hustled  off  to  a  small,  informal 
reception,  arranged  in  honor  of  the  visitor,  by  the 
people  of  his  race." 

Both  in  Washington  at  the  Christian  Endeavor 
meeting  and  in  Buffalo  at  the  National  Educa 
tional  Association  meeting  I  was  surprised  as  well 
as  gratified  at  the  large  number  of  Southern 
gentlemen  and  ladies  belonging  to  the  white  race 
who  pressed  forward  to  shake  my  hand 
at  the  close  of  these  addresses.  I  have  rarely 
spoken  anywhere  in  the  North  that  a  number  of 
Southern  white  people  did  not  come  forward  and 
most  earnestly  thank  me  for  my  position  and 
words. 

A  Southern  man  writing  to  the  Charleston 
News  and  Courier  concerning  my  address  at 
Buffalo  expressed  himself  as  follows : 

"  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  gentlemen 
speaking  were  of  great  ability,  the  audience 
showed  signs  of  impatience;  they  wanted  Mr. 
Washington,  and  no  one  else  would  do.  At  last 
he  came.  He  is  quiet  looking,  a  little  nervous 

but  determined.     His  face  indicates  that  he  has 
u 


222  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

above  all  qualities,  patience  and  self-control.  His 
address  to  the  second  audience  was  very  much 
the  same  as  that  delivered  before  the  first.  He 
was  a  little  freer;  told  several  amusing  instances 
and  from  the  start  carried  the  crowd  as  no  one 
else  has  done  during  this  meeting." 

It  has  been  my  privilege  to  be  invited  to 
address  the  national  gathering  of  both  the  Chris 
tian  Endeavor  Society  and  the  National  Educa 
tional  Association  at  almost  every  session  that 
these  organizations  have  held,  and  I  have  been 
very  glad  to  accept  the  invitation  as  often  as  I 
could  find  time  to  do  so. 

The  following  September  I  delivered  the  open 
ing  address  before  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts 
and  Sciences  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  in  October 
of  the  same  year  while  in  Durham,  N.  C.,  for  the 
purpose  of  speaking  at  the  Agricultural  and 
Mechanical  Fair  held  at  that  place  by  the  colored 
people,  I  was  invited  by  the  President  of  Trinity 
College,  located  in  Durham,  to  deliver  an  address 
before  the  students  of  that  college.  This  was  the 
first  time  that  I  had  ever  received  an  invitation  to 
address  a  white  college  in  the  South.  I  accepted 
the  invitation  and  was  treated  with  every  possible 
courtesy  both  by  the  officers  and  students  of  the 
college.  After  my  address,  as  I  was  preparing 
ta  leave  the  grounds  in  company  with  a  number 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  223 

of  colored  friends  who  had  been  kind  enough  to 
call  with  me,  the  students  assembled  in  the  front 
yard  and  gave  me  their  usual  college  yell  in  a 
hearty  manner. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

URGED  FOR  A  CABINET  POSITION. 

Soon  after  the  election  of  Major  McKinley 
to  the  office  of  President  in  1896,  the  Washington 
Post,  to  the  surprise  of  nearly  everybody,  came 
out  with  a  strong  editorial  urging  the  President- 
Elect  to  give  me  a  place  in  his  cabinet.  The 
name  of  the  late  Hon.  B.  K.  Bruce  was  also  sug 
gested  in  the  same  connection.  This  editorial 
created  quite  a  journalistic  discussion  which  ex 
tended  to  all  parts  of  the  country.  I  give  a  few 
extracts  from  newspapers  that  may  indicate  the 
character  of  this  discussion. 

The  Washington  Post,  which,  I  think  was  the 
first  paper  to  discuss  the  propriety  of  my  selection 
as  a  cabinet  officer,  opened  the  discussion  with  the 
following  article: 

"There  is  one  problem  which  Mr.  McKinley,  if 
he  be  a  just  and  grateful  man — as  we  think  he  is 
— will  have  to  consider,  and  consider  very  seri 
ously.  We  have  in  mind  the  problem  of  what  the 
Republican  party  proposes  to  do  by  way  of  rec 
ognizing  its  obligations  to  the  colored  voter. 
That  party  has  owed  much  to  the  loyal  and  un 
selfish  devotion  of  the  race  in  times  gone  by,  but 

227 


228  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

never  so  much  as  in  the  campaign  which  it  has 
conducted  to  a  triumphant  conclusion.  What, 
now,  will  Mr.  McKinley  do  to  testify  his  grati 
tude? 

"At  every  stage  of  his  personal  fight  Mr.  Mc 
Kinley  has  been  indebted  to  the  Negro.  It  was 
the  Negro  contingent  at  St.  Louis  that  made  his 
nomination  certain.  It  was  the  Negro's  firm  stand 
for  gold  that  forced  the  sound  money  issue  upon 
the  convention.  It  was  the  Negro's  vote  in  such 
States  as  Maryland,  West  Virginia,  Kentucky, 
Ohio,  Delaware  and  Indiana  that  made  his  victory 
possible.  We  all  know  now  that  McKinley  would 
have  had  next  to  no  chance  at  all  had  not  the  St. 
Louis  convention  declared  emphatically  and  un 
equivocally  for  the  gold  standard.  As  between  a 
simple  declaration  for  tariff  revision  on  the  one 
hand  and  for  free  silver  coinage  without  tariff  dis 
turbances  on  the  other,  the  great  Eastern  and 
Middle  States  would  have  had  but  a  languid 
choice.  It  was  the  solid  sound  money  front  pre 
sented  by  the  colored  delegates  that  compelled  the 
adoption  of  the  gold  clause  in  the  platform,  and 
furnished  Mr.  McKinley  with  the  issue  upon  which 
he  rallied  to  his  banner  the  merchants,  the  manu 
facturers,  and  the  moneyed  corporations  through 
out  the  land.  Mr.  McKinley  could  not  have  been 
elected  but  by  the  course  pursued  by  the  Negroes 
before,  during,  and  after  the  assembling  of  the  St. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  229 

Louis  convention.    Now,  in  what  fashion  does  he 
intend  to  recognize  and  reward  their  service? 

"It  seems  to  us  that  at  least  one  cabinet  posi 
tion  should  be  given  to  the  race.  Let  us  say  the 
portfolio  of  Agriculture,  for  example.  There  are 
many  colored  men  of  notable  attainments,  of  large 
experience  in  public  life,  and  of  the  highest  per 
sonal  character,  eminently  qualified  to  discharge 
the  duties  of  this  office  with  credit  to  the  admin 
istration  and  honor  to  themselves.  We  might 
name  such  men  as  Hon.  B.  K.  Bruce  and  Prof. 
Booker  T.  Washington.  Mr.  Bruce  has  been  a 
Senator  of  the  United  States,  and  it  may  be  truly 
said  of  him  that  in  that  capacity  he  won  the  re 
spect  and  esteem  of  all  his  colleagues  and  served 
his  country  with  distinction.  He  also  served  a 
term  as  Register  of  the  Treasury  and  another  as 
Recorder  of  Deeds  under  the  District  government, 
always  with  notable  ability.  Prof.  Washington 
is  universally  recognized  as  one  of  the  foremost 
educators  in  the  country.  The  institute  over 
which  he  presides,  at  Tuskegee,  Ala.,  has  become 
conspicuous  under  his  management,  and  is  to-day 
ranked  with  the  most  useful  and  admirable  of  our 
seats  of  learning.  The  appointment  of  either  of 
these  gentlemen  to  the  control  of  one  of  the 
executive  departments  would  be  a  graceful 
acknowledgment  of  the  obligations  which  the 
Republican  party  has  incurred,  and  which  we 


230  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

should  think  it  would  be  anxious  to  discharge. 
We  do  not  limit  Mr.  McKinley  to  these  two. 
There  are  many  other  colored  men  abundantly 
fitted  for  a  Cabinet  position.  It  happens  simply 
that  ex-Senator  Bruce  and  Prof.  Washington 
occurred  to  us  first  in  running  over  the  list  of 
eligibles. 

"Returning  to  the  abstract  proposition,  how 
ever,  it  is  clear  to  us  that  Mr.  McKinley  owes  his 
election,  first  to  the  fidelity  and  wise  foresight 
of  the  colored  delegates  at  St.  Louis,  and  secondly 
to  the  loyal  support  of  the  colored  voters  in  half 
a  dozen  states  necessary  to  his  election,  which 
could  not  possibly  have  been  carried  for  him  with 
out  their  aid.  He  is  under  obligations,  which,  as 
a  man  of  feeling,  he  cannot  well  ignore  and  which 
he  could  most  felicitously  acknowledge  by  ask 
ing  some  truly  representative  Negro  to  enter  his 
official  family." 

The  Canton  (Ohio)  Repository,  after  discuss 
ing  in  a  long  article  a  number  of  men,  white  and 
black,  suitable  for  cabinet  material,  concluded  as 
follows : 

"  Another  able  man  is  Prof.  Booker  T.  Wash 
ington,  the  head  of  the  Tuskegee  Normal  School, 
of  Alabama.  Mr.  Washington  has  been  spoken 
of  for  Secretary  of  Agriculture  under  the  new 
administration,  and  is  one  of  the  foremost  leaders 
of  the  colored  race  in  this  country  and  a  pioneer 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  231 

in  the  industrial  and  educational  development  of 
his  people.  He  is  one  of  the  younger  leaders  of 
the  colored  people  and  fully  understands  their 
needs  and  hopes.  His  address  at  the  opening  of 
the  Atlanta  Exposition  has  been  favorably  com 
mented  upon  by  all  classes  of  people.  He  is  the 
originator  of  the  Normal  college  and  is  doing  a 
great  work  in  the  South." 

There  were  other  articles  o£  similar  character 
in  other  papers  at  the  time,  and  still  others  of 
course  that  opposed  vigorously  the  idea  of  placing 
a  Negro  in  the  Cabinet  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States. 

In  a  speech  delivered  to  the  colored  citizens  of 
Boston,  Mass.,  soon  after  this  discussion  began,  I 
openly  declared  that  under  no.  circumstances 
would  I  accept  a  political  appointment  that  would 
result  in  my  turning  aside  from  the  work  which  I 
had  begun  at  Tuskegee. 

In  the  spring  of  1897  I  was  invited  by  Dr. 
Francis  J.  Grimke,  pastor  of  the  i5th  St.  Presby 
terian  Church,  Washington,  D.  C.,  to  deliver  an 
address  in  his  church.  My  subject  on  this  oc 
casion  was  "The  Things  in  Hand."  It  was  just 
after  President  McKinley  had  been  inaugurated 
as  President.  Washington  was  full  of  people 
from  all  over  the  country  and  among  them  not  a 
few  colored  people  seeking  office.  At  this  meet 
ing  I  urged  as  strongly  as  I  could  that  the  colored 


232  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

people  should  cease  depending  so  much  6n  office, 
and  give  more  attention  to  industrial  or  business 
enterprises.  This  created  a  wide  discussion 
among  the  colored  people,  especially  among 
those  who  were  in  Washington  seeking  office.  I 
have  always  held  that  the  Negro  has  the  same 
right  to  aspire  to  political  or  appointive  offices  as 
the  white  man  has,  but  in  our  present  condition 
we  will  be  more  sure  of  laying  a  foundation  that 
will  result  in  permanent  political  recognition  in 
the  future  by  giving  attention  at  the  present  time 
in  a  very  large  measure  to  education,  business 
and  industry,  than  merely  by  seeking  political 
office.  I  favor  that  the  Negro  give  up  no  right 
guaranteed  to  him  by  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  but  I  am  also  convinced  that  the 
way  for  him  to  secure  the  opportunity  to  exercise 
his  rights  guaranteed  to  him  by  the  Constitution 
is  to  make  himself  the  most  useful  and  inde 
pendent  citizen  in  his  community. 

In  certain  quarters,  for  a  number  of  years,  a 
certain  element  of  our  people  have  opposed  my 
plan  for  the  elevation  of  the  Negroes,  on  the 
ground  that  they  have  felt*  that  I  was  not  in  favor 
of  the  Negro  receiving  a  college  education.  This 
is  an  error.  I  do  not  oppose  college  education 
for  our  people,  but  I  do  urge  that  a  larger  per 
centage  of  our  young  men  and  women,  whether 
educated  in  college  or  not,  give  the  strength  of 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  233 

their  education  in  the  direction  of  commercial  or 
industrial  development,  just  the  same  as  the  white 
man  does.  I  have  tried  to  show  my  approval  of 
college  education  by  giving  as  many  college  men 
as  possible  employment,  and  have  on  our  pay  roll 
at  Tuskegee,  constantly,  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
men  and  women  who  have  been  educated  at  the 
leading  colleges  throughout  the  country.  The 
best  way  to  approve  of  college  education  is  to 
give  those  educated  at  college  something  to  do. 
The  great  need  for  the  next  fifty  or  one  hundred 
years  among  our  people  will  be  the  sending  out 
among  them  of  men  and  women  thoroughly 
equipped  with  academic  and  religious  training, 
together  with  industrial  or  hand  training,  so  that 
they  can  lead  the  masses  to  a  betterment  of  their 
present  industrial  and  material  condition.  The 
young  white  man  who  graduates  at  college,  in 
nine  cases  out  of  ten,  finds  a  business  waiting  for 
him  that  he  can  enter  into  as  soon  as  he  gets  his 
college  diploma.  This  business  has  been  created 
by  his  father,  grandfather  or  great-grandfather 
years  before,  but  the  black  boy  graduating  from 
college  finds  no  business  waiting  for  him;  he  must 
start  a  business  for  himself;  therefore,  it  is  im 
portant,  in  our  present  condition,  that  the  Negro 
be  so  educated  along  technical  and  industrial  lines 
that  he  can  found  a  business  for  himself.  In  the 
matter  of  technical  or  industrial  education  the 


234  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

blacks  are  not  keeping  up  with  the  whites.  Every 
state  has  technical  schools  for  white  boys  and 
girls,  and  we  can  not  expect  to  retain  our  hold  on 
the  industries  of  the  South,  unless  we  give  special 
attention  to  preparing  ourselves  for  doing  the  best 
work.  In  too  many  cases  the  Negro  carpenter, 
the  Negro  blacksmith,  the  Negro  contractor,  and 
laundry  woman  are  being  replaced  by  white 
people  who  have  come  into  the  South  from  the 
North.  We  can  only  retain  our  hold  upon  the 
industries  of  the  South  by  putting  into  the  field 
men  and  women  of  the  highest  intelligence  and 
skill.  We  must  learn  to  do  the  tasks  about  our 
door  in  a  thorough  manner;  to  do  a  common 
thing  in  an  uncommon  manner;  to  be  sure  that 
nobody  else  can  improve  on  our  work.  * 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    SHAW    MONUMENT    SPEECH,     THE    VISIT    OF 

SECRETARY  JAMES  WILSON,  AND  THE  LETTER 

TO  THE  LOUISIANA  CONVENTION. 

In  the  spring  of  1897  I  received  a  letter  from 
Hon.  Edward  Atkinson,  of  Boston,  inviting  me 
to  deliver  an  address  at  the  dedication  of  the 
Robert  Gould  Shaw  monument  in  Boston.  I 
take  it  for  granted  that  my  readers  already 
know  all  about  the  history  and  achievements  of 
Robert  Gould  Shaw.  The  monument  dedicated 
to  his  memory  stands  on  the  historic  Boston 
Commons,  facing  Beacon  Street,  and  is  said  to  be 
the  most  perfect  piece  of  art  of  the  kind  in  this 
country. 

The  meeting  in  connection  with  the  dedicatory 
exercises  was  held  in  Music  Hall,  Boston,  which 
was  packed  from  bottom  to  top  with  perhaps 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  audiences  that  has 
ever  assembled  in  Boston.  In  fact,  there  was  a 
larger  number  of  the  old  anti-slavery  element 
present  than  will  perhaps  ever  assemble  again  in 
this  country.  Hon.  Roger  Wolcott,  Governor 
of  Massachusetts,  was  the  presiding  officer.  On 
the  platform  were  the  Mayor  of  Boston,  the 
Lieutenant  Governor,  members  of  the  Governor's 

235 


236  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

Council  and  of  the  city  government  of  Boston, 
besides  hundreds  of  other  distinguished  persons. 

As  to  the  impression  made  by  this  address  I 
shall  let  an  editorial  which  appeared  in  the  Bos 
ton  Transcript  the  next  day,  together  with  a  few 
other  newspaper  accounts,  tell  the  story. 

I  spoke  as  follows: — 

"Mr.  Chairman  and  fellow  citizens: — 

"In  this  presence,  and  on  this  sacred  and 
memorable  day,  in  the  deeds  and  death  of  our 
hero,  we  recall  the  old,  old  story,  ever  old,  yet 
ever  new,  that  when  it  was  the  will  of  the  Father 
to  lift  humanity  out  of  wretchedness  and  bondage, 
the  precious  task  was  delegated  to  him  who 
among  ten  thousand  was  altogether  lovely,  and 
was  willing  to  make  himself  of  no  reputation  that 
he  might  save  and  lift  up  others. 

"  If  that  heart  could  throb  and  those  lips  could 
speak,  what  would  be  the  sentiment  and  words 
that  Robert  Gould  Shaw  would  have  us  feel  and 
speak  at  this  hour  ?  He  would  not  have  us  to  dwell 
long  on  the  mistakes,  the  injustice,  the  criticisms 
of  the  days — 

'Of  storm  and  cloud,  of  doubt  and  fears, 
Across  the  eternal  sky  must  lower ; 
Before  the  glorious  noon  appears. ' 

"He  would  have  us  bind  up  with  his  own 
undying  fame  and  memory  and  retain  by  the 
side  of  his  monument,  the  name  of  John  A. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  237 

Andrew,  who,  with  prophetic  vision  and  strong 
arm,  helped  to  make  the  existence  of  the  54th 
regiment  possible;  and  that  of  George  L.  Stearns, 
who,  with  hidden  generosity  and  a  great, 
sweet  heart,  helped  to  turn  the  darkest 
hour  into  day,  and  in  doing  so  freely  gave  serv 
ice,  fortune  and  life  itself  to  the  cause  which  this 
day  commemorates.  Nor  would  he  have  us  for 
get  those  brother  officers,  living  and  dead,  who, 
by  their  baptism  in  blood  and  fire,  in  defense  of 
Union  and  freedom,  gave  us  an  example  of  the 
highest  and  purest  patriotism. 

"To  you  who  fought  so  valiantly  in  the  ranks, 
the  scarred  and  scattered  remnant  of  the  54th 
regiment,  who  with  empty  sleeve  and  wanting 
leg,  have  honored  this  occasion  with  your  pres 
ence,  to  you  your  commander  is  not  dead. 
Though  Boston  erected  no  monument  and  history 
recorded  no  story,  in  you  and  the  loyal  race  you 
represent,  Robert  Gould  Shaw  would  have  a 
monument  which  time  could  not  wear  away. 

"But  an  occasion  like  this  is  too  great,  too 
sacred,  for  mere  individual  eulogy.  The  individ 
ual  is  the  instrument,  national  virtue  the  end. 
That  which  was  300  years  being  woven  into  the 
warp  and  woof  of  our  democratic  institutions 
could  not  be  effaced  by  a  single  battle,  as  mag 
nificent  as  was  that  battle;  that  which  for  three 
centuries  had  bound  master  and  slave,  yea,  North 


238  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

and  South,  to  a  body  of  death,  could  not  be  blot 
ted  out  by  four  years  of  war,  could  not  be  atoned 
for  by  shot  and  sword,  nor  by  blood  and  tears. 

"Not  many  days  ago,  in  the  heart  of  the  South, 
in  a  large  gathering  of  the  people  of  my  race, 
there  were  heard  from  many  lips  praises  and 
thanksgiving  to  God  for  his  goodness  in  setting 
them  free  from  physical  slavery.  In  the  midst 
of  that  assembly  a  Southern  white  man  arose, 
with  gray  hair  and  trembling  hands,  the  former 
owner  of  many  slaves,  and  from  his  quivering" 
lips  there  came  the  words:  "My  friends,  you 
forget  in  your  rejoicing  that  in  setting  you  free, 
God  was  also  good  to  me  and  my  race  in  setting 
us  free.''  But  there  is  a  higher  and  deeper  sense 
in  which  both  races  must  be  free  than  that  repre 
sented  by  the  bill  of  sale.  The  black  man  who 
cannot  let  love  and  sympathy  go  out  to  the  white 

man  is  but  half  free.     The  white  man  who  would 

i 

close  the  shop  or  factory  against  a  black  man 
seeking  an  opportunity  to  earn  an  honest  living  is 
but  half  free.  The  white  man  who  retards  his 
own  development  by  opposing  a  black  man  is 
but  half -free.  The  full  measure  of  the  fruit  of 
Fort  Wagner  and  all  that  this  monument  stands 
for  will  not  be  realized  until  every  man  covered 
with  a  black  skin  shall  by  patient  and  natural 
effort,  grow  to  that  height  in  industry,  property, 
intelligence  and  moral  responsibility,  where  no 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  239 

man  in  all  our  land  will  be  tempted  to  degrade 
himself  by  withholding  from  his  black  brother 
any  opportunity  which  he  himself  would  possess. 

"Until  that  time  comes  this  monument  will 
stand  for  effort,  not  victory  complete.  What 
these  heroic  souls  of  the  54th  regiment  began  we 
must  complete.  It  must  be  completed  not  in 
malice,  not  in  narrowness;  nor  artificial  progress, 
nor  in  efforts  at  mere  temporary  political  gain, 
nor  in  abuse  of  another  section  or  race.  Standing 
as  I  do  to-day  in  the  home  of  Garrison  and  Phillips 
and  Sumner,  my  heart  goes  out  to  those  who  wore 
the  gray  as  well  as  to  those  clothed  in  the  blue ;  to 
those  wlia  returned  defeated,  to  destitute  homes, 
to  face  blasted  hopes  and  a  shattered  political  and 
industrial  system.  To  them  there  can  be  no 
prouder  reward  for  defeat  than  by  a  supreme 
effort  to  place  the  Negro  on  that  footing  where 
he  will  add  material,  intellectual  and  civil  strength 
to  every  department  of  the  State. 

"  This  work  must  be  completed  in  the  public 
school,  industrial  school  and  college.  The  most 
of  it  must  be  completed  in  the  effort  of  the  Negro 
himself,  in  his  effort  to  withstand  temptation,  to 
economize,  to  exercise  thrift,  to  disregard  the 
superficial  for  the  real,  the  shadow  for  the  sub 
stance,  to  be  great  and  yet  small,  in  his  effort  to 
be  patient  in  the  laying  of  a  firm  foundation,  to 
grow  so  strong  in  skill  and  knowledge  that  he 

15 


240  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

shall  place  his  service  in  demand  by  reason  of  his 
intrinsic  and  superior  worth.  All  this  makes  the 
key  that  unlocks  every  door  of  opportunity,  and 
all  others  fail.  In  this  battle  of  peace  the  rich 
and  poor,  the  black  and  white  may  have  a  part. 
"  What  lessons  has  this  occasion  for  the  future  ? 
What  of  hope,  what  of  encouragement,  what  of 
caution?  < Watchman,  tell  us  of  the  night;  what 
the  signs  of  promise  are.'  If  through  me,  an 
humble  representative,  nearly  ten  millions  of  my 
people  mignt  be  permitted  to  send  a  message  to 
Massachusetts,  to  the  survivors  of  the  54th  regi 
ment,  to  the  committee  whose  untiring  energy 
has  made  this  memorial  possible,  to  the  family 
who  gave  their  only  boy  that  we  might  have  life 
more  abundantly,  that  message  would  be,  *Tell 
them  that  the  sacrifice  was  not  in  vain,  that  up 
from  the  depth  of  ignorance  and  poverty  we  are 
coming,  and  if  we  come  through  oppression  out 
of  the  struggle,  we  are  gaining  strength.  By  the 
way  of  the  school,  the  well  cultivated  field,  the 
skilled  hand,  the  Christian  home,  we  are  coming 
up;  that  we  propose  to  invite  all  who  will  to  step 
up  and  occupy  this  position  with  us.  Tell  them 
that  we  are  learning  that  standing  ground  for  a 
race,  as  for  an  individual,  must  be  laid  in  intelli 
gence,  industry,  thrift  and  property,  not  as  an  end, 
but  as  a  means  to  the  highest  privileges;  that  we 
are  learning  that  neither  the  conqueror's  bullet 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  241 

nor  the  fiat  of  law  could  make  an  ignorant  voter 
an  intelligent  voter,  could  make  a  dependent  man 
an  independent  man,  could  give  one  citizen  re 
spect  for  another,  a  bank  account,  nor  a  foot  of 
land,  nor  an  enlightened  fireside.  Tell  them  that 
as  grateful  as  we  are  to  artist  and  patriotism  for 
placing  the  figures  of  Shaw  and  his  comrades  in 
physical  form  of  beauty  and  magnificence,  that 
after  all,  the  real  monument,  the  greater  monu 
ment,  is  being  slowly  but  safely  builded  among 
the  lowly  in  the  South,  in  the  struggles  and  sacri 
fices  of  a  race  to  justify  all  that  has  been  done 
and  suffered  for  it.' 

"  One  of  the  wishes  that  lay  nearest  Colonel 
Shaw's  heart  was,  that  his  black  troops  might  be 
permitted  to  fight  by  the  side  of  the  white  soldiers. 
Have  we  not  lived  to  see  that  wish  realized,  and 
will  it  not  be  more  so  in  the  future?  Not  at 
Wagner,  not  with  rifle  and  bayonet,  but  on  the 
field  of  peace,  in  the  battle  of  industry,  in  the 
struggle  for  good  government,  in  the  lifting  up  of 
the  lowest  to  the  fullest  opportunities.  In  this  we 
shall  fight  by  the  side  of  the  white  man,  North 
and  South.  And  if  this  be  true,  as  under  God's 
guidance  it  will,  that  old  flag,  that  emblem  of 
progress  and  security,  which  brave  Sergeant  Car 
ney  never  permitted  to  fall  upon  the  ground,  will 
still  be  borne  aloft  by  Southern  soldier  and  North- 


242  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

ern   soldier,  and,  in  a   more   potent    and   higher 
sense,  we  shall  all  realize  that — 

'The  slave's  chain  and  the  master's  alike  broken; 
The  one  curse  of  the  race  held  both  in  tether ; 
They  are  rising,  all  are  rising — 
The  black  and  the  white  together. '  " 

From  the  Boston  Evening  Transcript  of  June 
ist,  the  following  is  taken: 

"The  core  and  kernel  of  yesterday's  great 
noon  meeting  in  honor  of  the  Brotherhood  of 
Man  in  Music  Hall,  was  the  superb  address  of  the 
Negro  President  of  Tuskegee.  Booker  T.  Wash 
ington  received  his  Harvard  A.  M.  last  June,  the 
first  of  his  race,  said  Governor  Wolcott,  to  receive 
an  honorary  degree  from  the  oldest  university  in 
this  country,  and  this  for  the  wise  leadership  of 
his  people.  And  when  Mr.  Washington  rose  up 
in  the  flag-filled,  enthusiasm-warmed,  patriotic 
and  glowing  atmosphere  of  Music  Hall,  people 
felt  keenly  that  here  was  the  civic  justification  of 
the  old  abolition  spirit  of  Massachusetts,  in  his 
person  the  proof  of  her  ancient  and  indomitable 
faith;  in  his  strong  thought  and  rich  oratory,  the 
crown  and  glory  of  the  old  war  days  of  suffering 
and  strife.  The  scene  was  full  of  historic  beauty 
and  a  deep  significance.  'Cold7  Boston  was 
alive  with  the  fire  that  is  always  hot  in  her  heart 
for  righteousness  and  truth.  Rows  and  rows  of 
people  who  are  seldom  seen  at  any  public  func- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  243 

tion,  whole  families  of  those  who  are  certain  to 
be  out  of  town  on  a  holiday,  crowded  the  place 
to  overflowing.  The  city  was  at  her  birthright 
feat  in  the  persons  of  hundreds  of  her  best  citi 
zens,  men  and  women  whose  lives  and  names 
stand  for  the  virtues  that  make  for  honorable 
civic  pride. 

"Battle  music  had  filled  the  air.  Ovation  after 
ovation,  applause  warm  and  prolonged  had  greet 
ed  the  officers  and  friends  of  Colonel  Shaw,  the 
sculptor,  St.  Gaudens,  the  memorial  committee, 
the  Governor  and  his  staff,  and  the  Negro  soldiers 
of  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  as  they  came 
upon  the  platform  or  entered  the  hall.  Chief 
Marshal  Appleton  and  Mr.  Chaplain  Hall  had 
performed  their  duties.  Colonel  Henry  Lee,  of 
Governor  Andrew's  old  staff,  had  made  the  noble, 
simple  presentation  speech  for  the  committee, 
paying  tribute  to  the  chairman,  Mr.  John  M. 
Forbes,  in  whose  stead  he  served.  Governor 
Wolcott  had  made  his  short  memorable  speech, 
saying,  'Fort  Wagner  marked  an  epoch  in  his 
tory  of  a  race  and  called  it  into  manhood.' 
Mayor  Quincy  had  received  the  monument  for 
the  city  of  Boston  in  eloquent  words.  Professor 
James,  brother  of  Adjutant  James,  %rho  fell  at 
Fort  Wagner,  wounded  but  not  killed,  had  told 
the  story  of  Colonel  Shaw  and  his  black  regiment 
in  gallant  words.  He  got  at  the  soul  of  the  day's 


244  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

meaning  when  he  said  that  the  battle-instinct  is 
strong  enough  in  the  race,  bred  in  our  bone 
and  blood,  but  what  is  needed  is  'that  lonely  kind 
of  valor,  civic  courage  we  call  it  in  time  of  peace;' 
which  blesses  a  nation  with  a  continued  saying, 
and  whose  'inner  mystery'  the  precious  virtue 
of  civil  genius  is  preserved  in  perfect  good  tem 
per  and  in  power  of  righteous  wrath.  And  then 
after  the  singing  of 

'Mine  eyes  have  seen  the  glory, 
Of  the  coming  of  the  Lord/ 

Booker  Washington  arose.  It  was,  of  course, 
just  the  moment  for  him.  The  multitude,  shaken 
out  of  its  usual  Symphony  concert  calm,  quivered 
with  an  excitement  that  was  not  suppressed.  A 
dozen  times  it  had  sprung  to  its  feet  to  cheer  and 
wave  and  hurrah,  as  one  person.  When  this 
man  of  culture  and  voice  and  power,  as  well  as 
dark  skin,  began  with  the  bibical  poetic  touch 
in  his  first  words,  and  quickly  uttered  the  names 
of  Andrew  and  of  Stearns,  feeling  began  to  mount. 
You  could  see  tears  glisten  in  the  eyes  of  the 
soldiers  and  civilians  on  the  platform.  When  the 
orator  turned  to  the  colored  soldiers  on  the  plat 
form,  to  the  color  bearer  of  Fort  Wagner,  who 
smiling  bore  still  the  flag  he  never  lowered,  even 
when  wounded,  and  said :  'To  you,  to  the  scarred 
and  scattered  remnants  of  the  Fifty-fourth,  who 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  245 

with  empty  sleeve  and  wanting  leg,  have  honored 
this  occasion  with  your  presence,  to  you,  your 
commander  is  not  dead.  Though  Boston  erected 
no  monument,  and  history  recorded  no  story, 
in  you  and  the  loyal  race  you  represent,  Robert 
Gould  Shaw  would  have  a  monument  which  time 
could  not  wear  away,'  then  came  the  climax  of 
the  emotion  of  the  day  and  the  hour.  It  was 
Roger  Wolcott  as  well  as  the  Governor  of  Mas 
sachusetts,  the  individual  representative  of  the 
people's  sympathy,  as  well  as  the  chief  magistrate^ 
who  had  sprung  first  to  his  feet  and  cried,  'Three 
cheers  to  Booker  T.  Washington.'" 

One  incident,  however,  I  note  that  the  news 
papers  do  not  describe  fully.  Most  of  my  readers 
will  perhaps  know  thSt  Sergeant  William  H. 
Carney,  of  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  was  the  brave 
colored  officer  who  at  the  battle  of  Fort  Wagner, 
was  the  color  bearer  and  held  on  to  the  American 
flag.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  a  large  pro 
portion  of  his  regiment  was  slain,  he  escaped  in 
some  miraculous  manner  and  exclaimed,  after  the 
battle  was  over,  "The  old  flag  never  touched  the 
ground." 

Before  I  made  this  address  I  had  never  met 
Sergeant  Carney.  Sergeant  Carney,  however, 
together  with  a  remnant  of  the  Fifty-fourth  Mas 
sachusetts  Regiment,  was  present  on  a  front  seat, 
and  he  held  in  his  hand  the  same  flag  which  he 


246  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND,  WORK, 

had  held  on  to  safely  during  the  battle  of  Fort 
Wagner.  When  I  turned  to  address  the  colored 
regiment  and  referred  to  Sergeant  Carney,  he  rose 
as  if  by  instinct  with  the  flag  in  his  hands.  It  has 
been  my  privilege  to  witness  a  good  many  satis 
factory  and  rather  sensational  demonstrations  in 
connection  with  several  of  my  public  addresses, 
but  in  dramatic  effect  I  have  never  seen  nor  ex 
perienced  anything  that  equaled  the  impression 
made  on  the  audience  when  Sergeant  Carney 
arose.  For  a  good  many  minutes  the  audience 
seemed  to  entirely  lose  control  of  itself  and 
patriotic  feeling  was  at  a  high  pitch. 

In  November,  1897,  the  Tuskegee  Institute 
received  its  first  recognition  from  a  member  of 
the  President's  cabinet,  iff  the  way  of  a  visit  from 
Hon.  James  A.  Wilson,  Secretary  of  Agriculture. 
A  year  previous  to  the  visit  of  Secretary  Wilson, 
I  began  making  efforts,  in  connection  with  friends 
of  the  institution,  to  raise  money  enough  to  erect 
a  building  to  be  devoted  wholly  to  the  teaching 
of  agriculture,  horticulture/  dairying,  fruit-gar 
dening,  market  gardening,  etc.  About  $10,000 
was  secured  for  the  erection  of  this  building. 
Secretary  Wilson,  whom  I  had  met  in  the  West 
some  months  before,  promised  me  that  he  would 
try  to  be  present  at  the  formal  opening  of  this 
building,  and  he  kept  his  promise.  Secretary 
Wilson  was  accompanied  from  Washington  by 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON,  247 

Dr.  J.  L.  M.  Curry,  the  agent  of  the  John  F. 
Slater  Fund,  and  was  met  at  Tuskegee  by  Gov. 
Joseph  F.  Johnston  and  a  large  crowd  of  colored 
and  white  citizens.  In  addition  to  the  persons 
named  there  were  present,  Ex-Gov.  Northern,  of 
Georgia,  and  the  State  Superintendent  of  Educa 
tion  of  Georgia,  Major  Glenn.  The  occasion  was 
widely  published  throughout  the  country  and  did 
much  to  place  the  work  of  the  school  prominently 
before  the  people.  The  opening  of  this  building 
marked  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  in  the  history 
of  the  Tuskegee  Institute  as  since  that  time  we 
have  emphasized  the  teaching  of  agriculture  to 
our  students.  During  the  earlier  years  of  the 
school  we  found  it  difficult  to  get  students  to  take 
much  interest  in  our  farm  work.  They  wanted 
to  go  into  the  mechanical  trades  instead. 

After  the  opening  of  this  agricultural  building 
and  the  securing  of  Mr.  Geo.  W.  Carver,  a 
thoroughly  educated  man  in  all  matters  pertain 
ing  to  agriculture,  the  Agricultural  Deparfment 
has  been  put  upon  such  a  high  plane  that  the 
students  no  longer  look  upon  agriculture  as  a 
drudgery,  and  many  of  our  best  students  are 
anxious  to  enter  the  Agricultural  Department. 
We  have  demands  from  all  parts  of  thfe  South 
for  men  who  have  finished  our  courses  in  agri 
culture,  dairying,  etc.,  in  fact,  the  demands  are  far 
greater  than  we  can  supply.  I  often  wonder  why 


248  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

it  is,  there  being  such  excellent  openings  in  these 
directions,  that  so  few  of  our  young  men  are  will 
ing  to  prepare  themselves  for  these  valuable  and 
responsible  positions. 

I  shall  not  occupy  much  more  of  the  reader's 
time  in  detailing  accounts  of  my  various  speech- 
making  tours;  were  I  to  do  so,  a  good  part  of  this 
volume  would  be  occupied  in  a  description  of 
them.  Nearly  one-half  of  my  time  is  spent  away 
from  Tuskegee  addressing  audiences  of  various 
kinds  in  different  parts  of  the  country;  sometimes 
in  the  South,  other  times  in  the  Middle  or  East 
ern  States,  and  going  as  far  West  in  many  cases 
as  Denver  and  Omaha.  There  is  never  a  day 
that  I  do  not  receive  a  number  of  invitations  urg 
ing  me  to  go  to  some  section  of  the  country  to 
make  an  address.  When  I  am  away  from  Tuske 
gee  the  portion  of  the  time  that  is  not  spent  in 
making  addresses  in  behalf  of  Tuskegee  is  spent 
in  seeing  individuals.  The  latter  work  I  consider 
very  important  and  far-reaching. 

During  the  winter  of  1898  a  State  Constitu 
tional  Convention  assembled  in  New  Orleans,  La., 
for  the  purpose  of  passing  a  law  which  would  re 
sult  in  disfranchising  a  large  proportion  of  the 
Negro  voters.  Some  portion  of  the  Convention 
were  very  anxious  to  pass  a  law  that  would  result 
in  the  disfranchising  of  the  Negro  voters  without 
disfranchising  any  portion  of  the  white  voters. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  249 

The  passing  of  any  such  law  seemed  to  me  so  mani 
festly  unjust  that  I  addressed  an  open  letter  to 
the  Convention,  which  read  as  follows: 
"  To  the  Louisiana  State  Constitutional  Conven 
tion  : 

"In  addressing  you  this  letter  I  know  that  I 
am  running  the  risk  of  appearing  to  meddle  with 
something  that  does  not  concern  me.  But  since 
I  know  that  nothing  but  love  for  our  beautiful 
southland,  which  I  hold  as  near  my  heart  as  any 
of  you  can,  and  a  sincere  love  for  every  black 
man  and  white  man  within  her  borders,  is  the 
only  thing  actuating  me  to  write,  I  am  willing  to 
be  misjudged,  if  need  be,  if  I  can  accomplish  a 
little  good. 

"  But  I  do  not  believe  that  you,  gentlemen  of 
the  Convention,  will  misinterpret  my  motives. 
What  I  say  will,  I  believe,  be  considered  in  the 
same  earnest  spirit  in  which  I  write. 

"I  am  no  politician;  on  the  other  hand,  I  have 
always  advised  my  race  to  give  attention  to 
acquiring  property,  intelligence  and  character,  as 
the  necessary  bases  of  good  citizenship,  rather 
than  to  mere  political  agitation.  But  the  ques 
tion  upon  which  I  write  is  out  of  the  region  of 
ordinary  politics;  it  affects  the  civilization  of  two 
races,  not  for  to-day  alone,  but  for  a  very  long 
time  to  come;  it  is  up  in  the  region  of  duty  of 
man  to  man,  of  Christian  to  Christian. 


250  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

"  Since  the  war,  no  State  has  had  such  an  op 
portunity  to  settle  for  all  time  the  race  question, 
so  far  as  it  concerns  politics,  as  is  now  given  in 
Louisiana.  Will  your  Convention  set  an  example 
to  the  world  in  this  respect?  Will  Louisiana 
take  such  high  and  just  ground  in  respect  to  the 
Negro  that  no  one  can  doubt  that  the  South  is  as 
good  a  friend  to  the  Negro  as  he  possesses  else 
where?  In  all  this,  gentlemen  of  the  Convention, 
I  am  not  pleading  for  the  Negro  alone,  but  for 
the  morals,  the  higher  life  of  the  white  man  as 
well.  For  the  more  I  study  this  question,  the 
more  I  am  convinced  that  it  is  not  so  much  a 
question  as  to  what  the  white  man  will  do  with 
the  Negro>  as  to  what  the  Negro  will  do  with  the 
white  man's  civilization. 

"  The  Negro  agrees  with  you  that  it  is  neces 
sary  to  the  salvation  of  the  South  that  restriction 
be  put  upon  the  ballot.  I  know  that  you  have  two 
serious  problems  before  you;  ignorant  and  cor 
rupt  government  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the 
other  a  way  to  restrict  the  ballot  so  that  control 
will  be  in  the  hands  of  the  intelligent,  without  re 
gard  to  race.  With  the  sincerest  sympathy  with 
you  in  your  efforts  to  find  a  way  out  of  the  diffi 
culty,  I  want  to  suggest  that  no  State  in  the 
South  can  make  a  law  that  will  provide  an  oppor 
tunity  or  temptation  for  an  ignorant  white  man 
to  vote,  and  withhold  the  same  opportunity  from 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  251 

an  ignorant  colored  man,  without  injuring  both 
men.  No  State  can  make  a  law  that  can  thus  be 
executed,  without  dwarfing  for  all  time  the 
morals  of  the  white  man  in  the  South.  Any  law 
controlling  the  ballot,  that  is  not  absolutely  just 
and  fair  to  both  races,  will  work  more  permanent 
injury  to  the  whites  than  to  the  blacks. 

u  The  Negro  does  not  object  to  an  education  or 
property  test,  but  let  the  law  be  so  clear  that  no 
one  clothed  with  State  authority  will  be  tempted 
to  perjure  and  degrade  himself,  by  putting  one 
interpretation  upon  it  for  the  white  man  and 
another  for  the  black  man.  Study  the  history  of 
the  South,  and  you  will  find  that  where  there  has 
been  the  most  dishonesty  in  the  matter  of  voting, 
there  you  will  find  to-day  the  lowest  moral  condi 
tion  of  both  races.  First,  there  was  the  tempta 
tion  to  act  wrongly  with  the  Negro's  ballot. 
From  this  it  was  an  easy  step  to  dishonesty  with 
the  white  man's  ballot,  to  the  carrying  of  con 
cealed  weapons,  to  the  murder  of  a  Negro,  and 
then  to  the  murder  of  a  white  man  and  then  to 
lynching.  I  entreat  you  not  to  pass  such  a  law  as 
will  prove  an  eternal  millstone  about  the  neck  of 
your  children. 

u  No  man  can  have  respect  for  government  and 
officers  of  the  law  when  he  knows,  deep  down  in 
his  heart,  that  the  exercise  of  the  franchise  is 
tainted  with  fraud. 


252  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

"The  road  that  the  South  has  been  compelled 
to  travel  during  the  last  thirty  years  has  been 
strewn  with  thorns  and  thistles.  It  has  been  as 
one  groping  through  the  long  darkness  into 
the  light.  The  time  is  not  very  far  distant  when 
the  world  will  begin  to  appreciate  the  real 
character  of  the  burden  that  was  imposed  upon 
the  South  when  4,500,000  ex-slaves,  ignorant  and 
improverished,  were  given  the  franchise.  No 
people  had  before  been  given  such  a  problem  to 
solve.  History  had  blazed  no  path  through  the 
wilderness  that  could  be  followed.  For  thirty 
years  we  have  wandered  in  the  wilderness.  We 
are  beginning  to  get  out.  But  there  is  but  one 
road  out,  and  all  makeshifts,  expedients,  i  profit 
and  loss  calculations,'  but  lead  into  the  swamps, 
quicksands,  quagmires  and  jungles.  There  is  a 
highway  that  will  lead  both  races  out  into  the 
pure,  beautiful  sunshine,  where  there  will  be 
nothing  to  hide  and  nothing  to  explain,  where 
both  races  can  grow  strong  and  true  and  useful 
in  every  fibre  of  their  being.  I  believe  that  your 
convention  will  find  this  highway;  that  it  will 
enact  a  fundamental  law  which  will  be  absolutely 
just  and  fair  to  white  and  black  alike. 

"I  beg  of  you,  further,  that  in  the  degree  that 
you  close  the  ballot  box  against  the  ignorant, 
that  you  open  the  school  house.  More  than  one- 
half  of  the  people  of  your  State  are  Negroes. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON,  253 

No  State  can  long  prosper  when  a  large  percent 
age  of  its  citizenship  is  in  ignorance  and  poverty, 
and  has  no  interest  in  government.  I  beg  of  you 
that  you  do  not  treat  us  as  an  alien  people.  We 
are  not  aliens.  You  know  us;  you  know  that  we 
have  cleared  your  forests,  tilled  your  fields,  nursed 
your  children  and  protected  your  families.  There 
is  an  attachment  between  us  that  few  understand. 
While  I  do  not  presume  to  advise  you,  yet  it  is 
in  my  heart  to  say  that  if  your  convention  would 
do  something  that  would  prevent,  for  all  time, 
strained  relations  between  the  two  races,  and 
would  permanently  settle  the  matter  of  political 
relations  in  one  State  in  the  South,  at  least,  let 
the  very  best  educational  opportunities  be  pro 
vided  for  both  races;  and  add  to  this  the  enact 
ment  of  an  election  law  that  shall  be  incapable  of 
unjust  discrimination,  at  the  same  time  providing 
that  in  proportion  as  the  ignorant  secure  educa 
tion,  property  and  character,  they  will  be  given 
the  right  of  citizenship.  Any  other  course  will 
take  from  one-half  of  your  citizens  interest  in  the 
State,  and  hope  and  ambition  to  become  intel 
ligent  producers  and  tax-payers — to  become  use 
ful  and  virtuous  citizens.  Any  other  course  will 
tie  the  white  citizens  of  Louisiana  to  a  body  of 
death. 

"  The  Negroes  are  not  unmindful  o|  the  fact 
that   the   white   people   of  your   State   pay  the 


254  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

greater  portion  of  the  school  taxes,  and  that  the 
poverty  of  the  State  prevents  it  from  doing  all 
that  it  desires  for  public  education;  yet,  I  be 
lieve  you  will  agree  with  me,  that  ignorance  is 
more  costly  to  the  State  than  education;  that  it 
will  cost  Louisiana  more  not  to  educate  the 
Negroes  than  it  will  to  educate  them.  In  con 
nection  with  a  generous  provision  for  public 
schools,  I  believe  that  nothing  will  so  help  my 
own  people  in  your  State  as  provision  at  some  in 
stitution  for  the  highest  academic  and  normal  train 
ing  in  connection  with  thorough  training  in  agricul 
ture,  mechanics  and  domestic  economy.  The  fact 
is,  that  90  per  cent,  of  our  people  depend  upon 
the  common  occupations  for  their  living,  and  out 
side  of  the  cities,  85  per  cent,  depend  upon  agri 
culture  for  support.  Notwithstanding  this,  our 
people  have  been  educated  since  the  war  in  every 
thing  else  but  the  very  things  that  most  of  them 
live  by.  First-class  training  in  agriculture,  horti 
culture,  dairying,  stock  raising,  the  mechanical 
arts  and  domestic  economy,  will  make  us  intelli 
gent  producers,  and  not  only  help  us  to  contribute 
our  proportion  as  taxpayers,  but  will  result  in 
retaining  much  money  in  the  State  that  now  goes 
out  for  that  which  can  be  produced  in  the  State. 
An  institution  that  will  give  this  training  of  the 
hand,  along  with  the  highest  mental  culture,  will 
soon  convince  our  people  that  their  salvation  is  in 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  257 

the  ownership  of  property,  industrial  and  business 
development,  rather  than  mere  political  agitation. 

"The  highest  test  of  civilization  of  any  "race  is 
in  its  willingness  to  extend  a  helping  hand  to  the 
less  fortunate.  A  race,  like  an  individual,  lifts 
itself  up  by  lifting  others  up.  Surely  no  people 
ever  had  a  greater  chance  to  exhibit  the  highest 
Christian  fortitude  and  magnanimity  than  is  now 
presented  to  the  people  of  Louisiana.  It  requires 
little  wisdom  or  statesmanship  to  repress,  to 
crush  out,  to  retard  the  hopes  and  aspirations  of 
a  people,  but  the  highest  and  most  profound 
statesmanship  is  shown  in  guiding  and  stimulating 
a  people  so  that  every  fibre  in  the  body,  mind 
and  soul  shall  be  made  to  contribute  in  the  high 
est  degree  to  the  usefulness  and  nobility  of  the 
State.  It  is  along  this  line  that  I  pray  God  the 
thoughts  and  activities  of  your  Convention  be 
guided." 

This  letter  was  sent  out  through  the  Associated 
Press  widely  through  the  country.  The  leading 
papers  of  New  Orleans  as  well  as  many  parts  of 
the  South  indorsed  my  position  editorially.  The 
law  that  was  finally  passed  by  the  Convention, 
while  not  as  bad  as  when  first  presented  to  the 
Convention,  was  not  by  any  means  the  law  that 
should  have  been  enacted.  In  June  of  the  same 
year  I  delivered  the  annual  address  before  the 
Regents  of  the  University  of  New  York,  at 

16 


258  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

Albany,  and  was  the  guest  while  in  that  city  of 
the  Hon.  Mr.  McElroy,  brother-in-law  to  the  late 
President  Chester  A.  Arthur.  It  was  the  original 
plan  to  have  this  address  in  the  Senate  Chamber, 
but  the  audience  was  so  large  that  the  plan  was 
changed,  and  the  meeting  was  held  in  one  of  the 
large  churches  in  the  city. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

CUBAN  EDUCATION  AND  THE   CHICAGO  PEACE  JUB 
ILEE  ADDRESS. 

Immediately  after  the  close  of  the  Spanish- 
American  war  the  Tuskegee  Institute  started  a 
movement  to  bring  a  number  of  Cuban  and  Porto 
Rican  students  to  Tuskegee,  for  the  purpose  of 
receiving  training.  The  idea  was  pretty  generally 
endorsed,  and  within  a  reasonably  short  time 
enough  funds  were  donated  by  individuals 
throughout  the  country  to  provide  for  the  educa 
tion  of  ten  students  from  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico. 
These  students  are  now  at  Tuskegee  taking  the 
regular  courses  of  training  and  are  making  a 
creditable  record.  It  is  the  plan  to  have  them 
return  to  their  island  homes  and  give  their  people 
the  benefit  of  their  education. 

Perhaps  no  single  agency  has  been  more  potent 
during  the  last  ten  years  in  assisting  the  Negro  to 
better  his  condition  than  the  John  F.  Slater  Fund, 
to  which  I  have  already  referred.  The  trustees 
of  this  fund  are  among  the  most  successful  and 
generous  business  men  in  the  country,  and  they 
are  using  the  fund  very  largely  as  a  means  of 
pointing  the  proper  direction  of  the  education  of 

259 


260         THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

the  Negro.  During  1898  the  Slater  Fund  trustees 
made  an  appropriation  which  was  to  be  used  in 
enabling  Mrs.  Washington  and  myself  to  go  into 
all  of  the  Southern  cities  and  deliver  lectures  to 
our  people,  especially  in  the  large  cities,  speaking 
to  them  plainly  about  their  present  material,  fi 
nancial,  physical,  educational  and  moral  needs, 
and  trying  to  point  out  a  way  by  which  they 
could  improve.  We  spent  a  portion  of  the  sum 
mer  of  1898  in  going  into  cities  in  North  and 
South  Carolina.  Meetings  were  held  in  Greens 
boro,  Wilmington,  Columbia  and  Charleston,  and 
everywhere  we  spoke  the  houses  were  packed  full. 
We  spoke  four  or  five  times  in  Charleston, 
and  the  audience  rooms  were  crowded  at  every 
meeting  with  representatives  of  both  races.  We 
have  the  satisfaction  of  feeling  that  these  meetings 
accomplished  a  great  deal  of  good,  and  every 
where  we  were  overwhelmed  with  thanks  from 
the  people  for  our  words.  The  newspapers  gave 
us  all  the  space  we  desired  and  helped  not  only 
through  their  news  columns,  but  were  generous 
in  their  editorial  mention. 

When  the  Spanish-American  war  closed  there 
was  great  rejoicing  throughout  the  country  and 
many  cities  vied  with  each  other  in  their  effort  to 
celebrate  the  return  of  peace  on  a  scale  that 
would  command  the  attention  of  the  whole  coun 
try.  The  city  of  Chicago,  however,  seemed  to 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  261 

have  been  the  most  successful  in  these  celebra 
tions.  Chicago  was  fortunate  in  securing  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  together  with 
nearly  all  the  members  of  his  cabinet  and  various 
foreign  ministers  and  other  important  officials. 
This  gave  the  celebration  in  Chicago  a  national 
importance  such  as  attached  to  the  celebration  of 
no  other  city  which  held  one. 

I  was  asked  by  President  William  R.  Harper, 
of  the  University  of  Chicago,  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  invitations,  to  deliver  one  of  the 
addresses  in  Chicago.  I  accepted  the  invitation 
and  delivered,  in  fact,  two  addresses  during  the 
Jubilee  week  in  Chicago.  The  principal  address 
which  I  delivered  on  this  occasion  was  on  Sunday 
evening,  October  16.  The  meeting  was  held  in 
the  Chicago  Auditorium,  and  was  the  largest 
audience  that  I  have  ever  addressed  in  any  part  of 
the  country.  Besides  speaking  in  the  main  audi 
torium,  I  addressed,  on  the  same  evening,  two 
overflow  audiences  held  in  different  portions  of  the 
city.  It  is  said  there  were  16,000  people  in  the 
Auditorium,  and  it  seems  to  me  there  were  at 
least  16,000  on  the  outside  trying  to  get  into  the 
building.  In  fact,  without  the  aid  of  a  policeman, 
it  was  impossible  for  any  one  to  get  anywhere 
near  the  entrance:  The  meeting  was  attended 
by  President  William  McKinley,  the  members  of 
his  cabinet,  foreign  ministers  and  a  large  number 


262 


THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  283 

of  army  and  navy  officers,  many  of  whom  had 
distinguished  themselves  during  the  Spanish- 
American  war.  The  speakers,  besides  myself, 
on  Sunday  evening,  were,  Rabbi  Emil  G.  Hirsch, 
Father  Thomas  P.  Hodnett  and  Dr.  John  H. 
Barrows. 

The  speech  which  I  delivered  on  Sunday  even 
ing  was  as  follows : 

"Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

"On  an  important  occasion  in  the  life  of  the 
Master,  when  it  fell  to  Him  to  pronounce  judg 
ment  on  two  courses  of  action,  these  memorable 
words  fell  from  his  lips:  'And  Mary  hath  chosen 
the  better  part.'  This  was  the  supreme  test  in 
the  case  of  an  individual.  It  is  the  highest  test 
in  the  case  of  a  race  or  nation.  Let  us  apply  the 
test  to  the  American  Negro. 

"In  the  life  of  our  Republic,  when  he  has  had 
the  opportunity  to  choose,  has  it  been  the  better 
or  worse  part?  When  in  the  childhood  of  this 
nation  the  Negro  was  asked  to  submit  to  slavery 
or  choose  death  and  extinction,  as  did  the  abo 
rigines,  he  chose  the  better  part,  that  which  per 
petuated  the  race. 

"When  in  1776  the  Negro  was  asked  to  decide 
between  British  oppression  and  American  inde 
pendence,  we  find  him  choosing  the  better  part 
and  Crispus  Attucks,  a  Negro,  was  the  first  to 


264  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

shed  his  blood  on  State  street,  Boston,  that  the 
white  American  might  enjoy  liberty  forever, 
though  his  race  remained  in  slavery. 

"When  in  1814  at  New  Orleans,  the  test  of 
patriotism  came  again,  we  find  the  Negro  choos 
ing  the  better  part,  and  Gen.  Andrew  Jackson 
himself  testifying  that  no  heart  was  more  loyal 
and  no  arm  more  strong  and  useful  in  defense  of 
righteousness. 

"When  the  long  and  memorable  struggle  came 
between  union  and  separation,  when  he  knew 
that  victory  on  one  hand  meant  freedom,  and 
defeat  on  the  other  his  continued  enslavement, 
with  a  full  knowledge  of  the  portentous  meaning 
of  it  all,  when  the  suggestion  *  and  temptation 
came  to  burn  the  home  and  massacre  wife  and 
children  during  the  absence  of  the  master  in  battle, 
and  thus  insure  his  liberty,  we  find  him  choosing 
the  better  part,  and  for  four  long  years  protecting 
and  supporting  the  helpless,  defenceless  ones  en 
trusted  to  his  care. 

"When  in  1863  the  cause  of  the  union  seemed 
to  quiver  in  the  balance,  and  there  was  doubt 
and  distrust,  the  Negro  was  asked  to  come  to  the 
rescue  in  arms,  and  the  valor  displayed  at  Fort 
Wagner  and  Port  Hudson  and  Fort  Pillow  tes 
tifies  most  eloquently  again  that  the  Negro  chose 
the  better  part. 

"  When  a  few  months  ago  the  safety  and  honor 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  265 

of  the  republic  were  threatened  by  a  foreign  foe, 
when  the  wail  and  anguish  of  the  oppressed  from 
a  distant  isle  reached  his  ears,  we  find  the  Negro 
forgetting  his  own  wrongs,  forgetting  the  laws 
and  customs  that  discriminated  against  him  in  his 
own  country,  again  choosing  the  better  part — the 
part  of  honor  and  humanity.  And  if  you  would 
know  how  he  deported  himself  in  the  field  at 
Santiago,  apply  for  an  answer  to  Shafter  and 
Roosevelt  and  Wheeler.  Let  them  tell  how  the 
Negro  faced  death  and  laid  down  his  life  in  de 
fense  of  honor  and  humanity,  and  when  you  have 
gotten  the  full  story  of  the  heroic  conduct  of  the 
Negro  in  the  Spanish- American  war — heard  it 
from  the  lips  of  Northern  soldiers,  and  Southern 
soldiers,  from  ex-abolitionists  and  ex-masters — 
then  decide  within  yourselves  whether  a  race 
that  is  thus  willing  to  die  for  its  country  should 
not  be  given  the  highest  opportunity  to  live  for 
its  country. 

"In  the  midst  of  all  the  complaints  of  suffering 
in  the  camp  and  field,  suffering  from  fever  and 
hunger,  where  is  the  official  or  citizen  that  has 
heard  a  word  of  complaint  from  the  lips  of  a 
black  soldier?  The  only  request  that  has  come 
from  the  Negro  soldier  has  been  that  he  might 
be  permitted  to  replace  the  white  soldier  when 
heat  and  malaria  began  to  decimate  the  ranks  of 


266  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

the  white  regiment,  and  to  occupy  at  the  same 
time  the  post  of  greatest  danger. 

"  This  country  has  been  most  fortunate  in  her 
victories.  She  has  twice  measured  arms  with 
England  and  has  won.  She  has  met  the  spirit  of 
rebellion  within  her  borders  and  was  victorious. 
She  has  met  the  proud  Spaniard  and  he  lays 
prostrate  at  her  feet.  All  this  is  well,  it  is  mag 
nificent.  But  there  remains  one  other  victory  for 
Americans  to  win — a  victory  as  far-reaching  and 
important  as  any  that  has  occupied  our  army  and 
navy.  We  have  succeeded  in  every  conflict,  ex 
cept  the  effort  to  conquer  ourselves  in  the  blotting 
out  of  racial  prejudices.  We  can  celebrate  the 
era  of  peace  in  no  more  effectual  way  than  by  a 
firm  resolve  on  the  part  of  the  Northern  men  and 
Southern  men,  black  men  and  white  men,  that 
the  trenches  that  we  together  dug  around  Santi 
ago  shall  be  the  eternal  burial  place  of  all  that 
which  separates  us  in  our  business  and  civil  rela 
tions.  Let  us  be  as  generous  in  peace  as  we  have 
been  brave  in  battle.  Until  we  thus  conquer  our 
selves,  I  make  no  empty  statement  when  I  say 
that  we  shall  have  a  cancer  gnawing  at  the  heart 
of  the  republic  that  shall  one  day  prove  as  dan 
gerous  as  an  attack  with  an  army  without  or 
within. 

uln  this  presence  and  on  this  auspicious  occa 
sion,  I  want  to  present  the  deep  gratitude  of 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  267 

nearly  ten  millions  of  my  people  to  our  wise, 
patient  and  brave  Chief  Executive  for  the  gener 
ous  manner  in  which  my  race  has  been  recognized 
during  this  conflict.  A  recognition  that  has  done 
more  to  blot  out  sectional  and  racial  lines  than 
any  event  since  the  dawn  of  our  freedom. 

"I  know  how  vain  and  impotent  is  all  abstract 
talk  on  this  subject.  In  your  efforts  to  'rise  on 
stepping  stones  of  your  dead  selves,'  we  of  the 
black  race  shall  not  leave  you  unaided.  We  shall 
make  the  task  easier  for  you  by  acquiring  prop 
erty,  habits  of  thrift,  economy,  intelligence  and 
character,  by  each  making  himself  of  individual 
worth  in  his  own  community.  We  shall  aid  you 
in  this  as  we  did  a  few  days  ago  at  El  Caney  and 
Santiago,  when  we  helped  you  to  hasten  the  peace 
we  here  celebrate.  You  know  us;  you  are  not 
afraid  of  us.  When  the  crucial  test  comes,  you 
are  not  ashamed  of  us.  We  have  never  betrayed 
or  deceived  you.  You  know  that  as  it  has  been, 
so  it  will  be.  Whether  in  war  or  in  peace, 
whether  in  slavery  or  in  freedom,  we  have  always 
been  loyal  to  the  Stars  and  Stripes." 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  burden  the  reader  with 
newspaper  comments  on  this  address,  but  shall 
content  myself  with  giving  a  description  that  ap 
peared  at  the  time  in  the  Chicago  Times 
Herald. 

"Booker    T.    Washington's    address    at    the 


268  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

Jubilee  Thanksgiving  services  at  the  Auditorium 
contained  one  of  the  most  eloquent  tributes  ever 
paid  to  the  loyalty  and  valor  of  the  colored  race, 
and  at  the  same  time,  was  one  of  the  most  power 
ful  appeals  for  justice  to  a  race  which  has  always 
chosen  the  better  part. 

"  The  speaker,  who  is  the  recognized  leader  of 
the  colored  race,  reviewed  the  history  of  his 
people  from  the  childhood  of  the  nation  to  the 
present  day.  He  pictured  the  Negro  choosing 
slavery  rather  than  extinction;  recalled  Crispus 
Attucks,  shedding  his  blood  at  the  beginning  of 
the  American  revolution  *hat  white  Americans 
might  be  free,  while  black  Americans  remained 
in  slavery ;  rehearsed  the  conduct  of  the  Negroes 
with  Jackson  at  New  Orleans;  drew  a  vivid  and 
pathetic  picture  of  the  Southern  slaves  protecting 
and  supporting  the  families  of  their  masters  while 
the  latter  were  fighting  to  perpetuate  black 
slavery;  recounted  the  bravery  of  colored  troops 
at  Port  Hudson  and  Forts  Wagner  and  Pillow, 
and  praised  the  heroism  of  the  black  regiments 
that  stormed  El  Caney  and  Santiago  to  give  free 
dom  to  the  enslaved  people  of  Cuba,  forgetting 
for  the  time  being  the  unjust  discrimination  that 
law  and  custom  make  against  them  in  their  own 
country. 

u  In  all  of  these  things  the  speaker  declared  that 
his  race  had  chosen  the  better  part.  And  then 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  269 

he  made  his  eloquent  appeal  to  the  consciences  of 
white  Americans:  'When  you  have  gotten  the 
full  story  of  the  heroic  conduct  of  the  Negro  in 
the  Spanish- American  war,  heard  it  from  the  lips 
of  Northern  soldier  and  Southern  soldier,  from 
ex-abolitionists  and  ex-masters,  then  decide  within 
yourselves  whether  a  race  that  is  thus  willing  to 
die  for  its  country,  should  not  be  given  the 
highest  opportunity  to  live  for  its  country.' 

"  When  Americans  conquer  race  prejudice,  the 
speaker  declared,  they  will  have  won  a  victory 
greater  than  can  be  obtained  through  the  achieve 
ments  of  arms.  He  likened  the  effect  of  race 
discrimination,  especially  in  the  Southern  States, 
to  a  cancer  gnawing  at  the  heart  of  the  republic, 
'as  dangerous  as  an  attack  from  an  army  within 
or  without.' 

"  This  is  not  a  threat,  but  a  warning,  and  one 
to  which  the  white  race  should  give  heed.  The 
only  solution  of  the  *  Negro  problem '  which  will 
remove  all  menace  to  the  tranquillity  and  interest 
of  the  country,  is  a  universal  recognition  of  the 
Negro's  civil  rights.  When  law  and  custom 
cease  to  degrade  him  and  place  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  his  advancement;  when  we  cease  by  unjust 
discrimination  to  fill  his  heart  with  despair  and 
hatred,  but  instead,  give  him  hope  and  aid  in  his 
efforts  to  fully  emancipate  himself,  he  will  solve 


270  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

the  problem  now  fraught  with  vexation  and 
danger. 

"  The  race  is  fortunate  in  having  a  Booker  T. 
Washington  and  other  comparatively  great  men 
as  living  evidence  of  what  education  and  the  de 
velopment  of  natural  faculties  have  accomplished 
for  the  colored  man,  as  well  as  what  can  be 
accomplished  in  the  future. 

"Only  through  the  defeat  of  race  prejudice  can 
the  colored  man  hope  to  acquire  his  full  propor 
tions  as  a  citizen.  And  in  conquering  race  prej 
udice,  the  white  race  will  achieve  a  greater 
victory  than  both  races  won  in  the  late  war. 
They  will  be  choosing  the  better  part." 

The  portion  of  the  speech  which  seemed  to 
raise  the  wildest  and  most  sensational  enthusiasm 
was  the  part  where  I  thanked  the  President  for 
his  recognition  of  the  Negro  in  his  appointments 
during  the  Spanish-American  war.  The  Presi 
dent  occupied  a  seat  in  a  box  to  the  right  of  the 
platform.  When  I  addressed  the  President  I 
turned  toward  him,  and  as  I  closed  the  sentence 
thanking  him  for  his  generosity  the  whole  audi 
ence  arose  and  cheered  for  some  time.  The 
cheering  continued  with  waving  of  hats,  hand- 
kerchieves  and  canes  until  the  President  himself 
arose  in  his  box  and  bowed  to  me  two  or  three 
times.  This  kindled  anew  the  enthusiasm  and 
the  demonstration  was  almost  beyond  description. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  271 

I  shall  not  go  into  all  the  details  relating  to  the 
attention  which  was  shown  me  during  this  three 
days'  visit  to  Chicago.  I  would  say  that  from 
the  Mayor  of  the  city  down  every  official  con 
nected  with  the  Peace  Jubilee  seemed  to  give  me 
the  greatest  attention  and  completely  put  me  at 
my  ease  on  every  occasion.  I  was  given  a  posi 
tion  on  the  President's  stand  during  the  review 
of  the  parade  and  dined  twice  with  the  President's 
party. 

My  address  was  reported  in  all  portions  of  the 
country  through  the  associated  press  dispatches. 
One  portion  of  it  seemed  to  have  been  misunder 
stood,  however,  by  the  Southern  press  and  some 
of  the  Southern  newspapers  took  exception  to 
some  things  that  I  said  and  criticised  me  rather 
strongly  for  what  seemed  to  them  a  reflection 
upon  the  South.  These  criticisms  continued  for 
several  weeks,  when  I  received  a  letter  from  the 
editor  of  the  Age-Herald,  published  in  Birming 
ham,  Alabama,  asking  me  if  I  would  say  just 
what  I  meant  to  say  in  my  address,  and  I  replied 
in  the  following  letter,  which  seemed  to  put  an 
end  to  all  criticism  on  the  part  of  the  Southern 
press  and  to  satisfy  the  South: 

"To  the  Editor  of  the  <  Age-Herald? 

"  Replying  to  your  communication  of  recent 
date  regarding  my  Chicago  speech,  I  would  say 


272  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

that  I  have  made  no  change  whatever  in  my  atti 
tude  towards  the  South  or  in  my  idea  of  the  eleva 
tion  of  the  colored  man.  I  have  always  made  it  a 
rule  to  say  nothing  before  a  Northern  audience 
that  I  would  not  say  before  a  Southern  audience. 
I  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  go  into  any  ex 
tended  explanation  of  what  my  position  is,  for  if 
my  seventeen  years  of  work  here  in  the  heart  of 
the  South  is  not  a  sufficient  explanation  I  do  not 
see  how  mere  words  can  explain.  Each  year 
more  and  more  confirms  me  in  the  wisdom  of 
what  I  have  advocated  and  tried  to  do. 

"In  Chicago,  at  the  Peace  Jubilee,  in  discussing 
the  relations  of  the  races,  I  made  practically  the 
same  plea  that  I  did  in  Nashville  this  summer  at 
the  Young  People's  Society  of  Christian  En 
deavor,  where  I  spoke  almost  wholly  to  a  South 
ern  white  audience.  In  Chicago  I  made  the  same 
plea  that  I  did  in  a  portion  of  my  address  at  the 
opening  of  the  Atlanta  Exposition,  for  the  blotting 
out  of  race  prejudice  in  'commercial  and  civil 
relations.'  What  is  termed  social  recognition  is 
a  question  I  never  discuss.  As  I  said  in  my 
Atlanta  address,  'The  wisest  among  my  race  un 
derstand  that  the  agitations  of  questions  of  social 
equality  is  the  extremest  folly,  and  that  progress 
in  the  enjoyment  of  all  the  privileges  that  will 
come  to  us  must  be  the  result  of  severe  and  con 
stant  struggle  rather  than  of  artificial  forcing.1 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  275 

God  knows  that  both — we,  of  the  black  race  and 
the  white  race — have  enough  problems  pressing 
upon  us  for  solution  without  obtruding  a  social 
question,  out  of  which  nothing  but  harm  would 
come. 

"In  my  addresses  I  very  seldom  refer  to  the 
question  of  prejudice,  because  I  realize  that  it  is 
something  to  be  lived  down,  not  talked  down,  but 
at  that  great  meeting  which  marked,  in  a  large 
measure,  the  end  of  all  sectional  feeling,  I  thought 
it  an  opportune  time  to  ask  for  the  blotting  out 
of  racial  prejudice  as  far  as  possible  in  'business 
and  civil  relations.' 

"In  a  portion  of  my  address  which  was  not 
sent  out  by  the  Associated  Press,  I  made  the  re 
quest  that  the  Negro  be  given  every  opportunity 
in  proportion  as  he  makes  himself  worthy.  At 
Chicago  I  did  not  refer  wholly  to  the  South  or  to 
the  Southern  white  people.  All  who  are  ac 
quainted  with  the  subject  will  agree  that  prejudice 
exists  in  the  North  as  well  as  in  the  South.  I 
naturally  laid  emphasis  upon  the  South  because, 
as  we  all  know,  that,  owing  to  the  large  propor 
tion  of  blacks  to  whites  in  the  South,  it  is  in  the 
South  mainly  that  the  problem  is  to  be  worked 
out.  Whenever  I  discuss  the  question  of  race 
prejudice  I  never  do  so  solely  in  the  interest  of 
the  Negro;  I  always  take  higher  ground.  If  a 
black  man  hates  a  white  man  it  narrows  and 

17 


276  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

degrades  his  soul.     If  a  white  man  hates  a  black 
man  it  narrows  and  degrades  his  soul. 

"  Both  races  will  grow  stronger  in  morals  and 
prosper  in  business  just  in  proportion  as  in  every 
manly  way  they  cultivate  the  confidence  and 
friendship  of  each  other.  Outbreaks  of  race  feel 
ings  and  strained  relations  not  only  injure  business, 
but  retard  the  moral  and  religious  growth  of  both 
races,  and  it  is  the  duty  among  the  intelligent 
of  both  races  to  cultivate  patience  and  moderation. 

« Each  day  convinces  me  that  the  salvation  of 
the  Negro  in  this  country  will  be  in  his  cultiva 
tion  of  habits  of  thrift,  economy,  honesty,  the 
acquiring  of  education,  Christian  character,  prop 
erty  and  industrial  skill." 

I  have  always  made  it  a  rule  never  to  say  any 
thing  in  an  address  in  the  North  that  I  would  not 
say  in  the  South.  I  have  no  sympathy  with  any 
policy  which  would  leave  one  to  suppose  that  he 
can  help  matters  in  the  South  by  merely  abusing 
the  Southern  white  man.  What  the  South  wants 
is  help  and  not  abuse.  Of  course,  when  individ 
uals,  communities  or  states  in  the  South  do  a 
wrong  thing  they  should  be  criticised,  but  it 
should  be  done  in  a  dignified,  generous  manner. 
Mere  abuse  of  a  man  because  he  is  white  or  be 
cause  he  is  black  amounts  to  nothing  and  ends  in 
harm.  I  have  said  more  than  once,  and  I  here 
repeat  it,  that  I  can  sympathize  as  much  with  a 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  277 

white  man  as  with  a  black  man;  I  can  sympathize 
as  much  with  a  Southern  white  man  as  with  a 
Northern  white  man.  I  do  not  propose  that  my 
nature  shall  be  lowered  by  my  yielding  to  the 
temptation  to  hate  a  man  because  he  is  white  or 
because  he  happens  to  live  in  the  South.  The 
Negro  who  hates  a  white  man  is  usually  little  and 
narrow.  The  white  man  who  hates  a  Negro  is 
usually  little  and  narrow.  Both  races  will  grow 
strong,  useful  and  generous  in  proportion  as  they 
learn  to  love  each  other  instead  of  hating  each 
other.  The  Negro  race,  of  all  races  in  the  world, 
should  be  the  last  to  cultivate  the  habit  of  hating 
an  individual  on  account  of  his  race.  He  will 
gain  more  by  being  generous  than  by  being  nar 
row.  If  I  can  do  anything  to  assist  a  member  of 
the  white  race  I  feel  just  as  happy  as  if  I  had  done 
something  to  assist  a  member  of  the  Negro  race. 
I  think  I  have  learned  that  the  best  way  to  lift 
one's  self  up  is  to  help  some  one  else. 


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CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE   VISIT   OF   PRESIDENT  WM.  McKINLEY  TO  TUS- 

KEGEE. 

Soon  after  starting  the  Tuskegee  Institute  I 
earnestly  desired  to  have  the  President  of  the 
United  States  visit  it.  The  chance  of  securing 
such  a  visit  seemed  to  be  so  unattainable  that 
I  dared  not  mention  it  to  my  nearest  friend;  still, 
I  resolved  that  such  a  visit  should  be  made.  The 
more  I  thought  of  it,  the  more  I  became  con 
vinced  that  there  was  but  one  way  to  secure  the 
attention  and  the  interest  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  and  that  was  by  making  the 
institution  so  useful  to  the  country  that  the  atten 
tion  of  the  President  would  necessarily  be 
attracted  to  it.  From  the  first  day  that  the 
school  was  opened,  I  tried  to  impress  upon  teach 
ers  and  students  the  fact  that  by  reason  of  our 
former  condition  of  servitude,  and  prejudice 
against  our  color,  we  must  try  to  perform  every 
duty  entrusted  to  us,  not  only  as  well,  but  better 
than  any  one  else,  so  as  to  receive  proper  con 
sideration.  To-day  this  is  the  spirit  which  per 
vades  the  entire  school.  We  strive  to  have  our 
students  understand  that  no  possible  prejudice 
can  explain  away  the  influence  of  a  Negro  living 

281 


282  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

in  a  nicely  painted  house,  with  well-kept  flower 
yards,  gardens,  farm,  poultry  and  live  stock  and 
who  is  at  the  same  time  a  large  tax-payer  in  his 
county. 

After  nearly  eighteen  years  of  work  and 
struggle,  I  was  more  than  ever  determined  to 
secure  a  visit  from  the  highest  official  of  my 
country,  not  only  that  he  and  the  members  of  his 
cabinet  might  see  what  ex-slaves  had  accom 
plished  in  the  way  of  building  an  institution  of 
learning,  but  also  for  the  sake  of  the  encourage 
ment  that  such  a  recognition  from  the  Nation's 
Chief  Executive  would  give  the  whole  Negro 
race  in  America, 

In  October,  1898,  I  saw  it  mentioned  in  several 
newspapers  that  President  McKinley  was  likely 
to  visit  the  Atlanta  Peace  Jubilee,  in  December. 
I  went  at  once  to  Washington,  and  was  not  there 
a  great  while  before  I  found  my  way  to  the 
White  House.  There  was  quite  a  crowd  of  peo 
ple  in  the  various  reception  rooms,  many  of  whom 
had  been  waiting  some  time  for  an  audience  with 
the  President.  The  size  of  the  crowd  somewhat 
discouraged  me,  and  I  concluded  that  my  chances 
of  seeing  the  President  were  very  slim.  I  at 
once  sought  the  Secretary  to  the  President,  Mr. 
J.  Addison  Porter,  and  very  frankly  told  him  my 
errand.  Mr.  Porter  kindly  sent  my  card  in  to 
the  President,  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  Mr. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  283 

McKinley  permitted  me  to  see  him.  After  a 
most  interesting  conversation,  regarding  the  con 
dition  of  the  colored  people  in  the  South,  in 
which  he  manifested  his  interest  in  their  develop 
ment,  the  President  told  me  that,  in  case  he  saw 
his  way  clear  to  go  to  Atlanta,  in  December,  he 
would  try  hard  to  go  to  Tuskegee,  which  is  a 
hundred  and  forty  miles  beyond  Atlanta.  At  that 
time  he  did  not  make  his  promise  final,  but  asked 
me  to  see  him  later. 

By  the  middle  of  the  following  month,  the 
President  had  definitely  promised  to  attend  the 
Peace  Jubilee  at  Atlanta,  Ga.,  December  14  and 
15.  I  went  again  to  see  the  President.  This 
time  Mr.  Charles  W.  Hare,  a  white  citizen  of 
Tuskegee,  accompanied  me,  and  assisted  in  show 
ing  the  President  the  importance  of  making  such 
a  visit.  While  the  question  was  being  discussed 
with  cabinet  officers,  one  of  the  oldest  and 
most  influential  white  citizens  of  Atlanta,  one  who 
had  been  a  large  slave-holder  and  who  is  now  an 
active  Democrat,  stepped  into  the  room.  The 
President  asked  this  gentleman's  opinion  of  the 
wisdom  of  his  making  this  visit,  and  as  to  his 
going  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  out  of  the  way 
to  visit  such  an  institution.  This  Atlanta  citizen 
replied  that  it  was  the  thing  to  do.  The  reply  was 
made  without  hesitation.  Between  my  two  visits, 
that  active  and  most  constant  friend  of  the  Negro 


284  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

race,  Dr.  J.  L.  M.  Curry,  agent  of  the  Peabody 
and  Slater  Funds,  hearing  of  my  desire  to  have 
a  visit  from  the  President,  made  a  personal  call 
upon  Mr.  McKinley  without  my  knowledge,  and 
urged  him  to  make  the  visit.  I  will  not  prolong 
the  story,  except  to  add  that  before  the  day  of 
my  last  visit  was  over,  the  President  definitely 
decided  to  spend  the  greater  part  of  the  day  of 
December  16  in  visiting  the  Tuskegee  Institute. 
In  connection  with  this  visit  I  had  to  call  upon 
the  President  three  or  four  times  at  the  White 
House,  and  at  all  times  I  found  him  kind,  patient 
and  most  cordial,  apparently  forgetful  of  the  differ- 
ences  in  our  history.  The  time  of  my  last  visit 
was  but  a  few  days  after  the  election  riots  of  that 
year  in  North  and  South  Carolina,  when  the 
colored  people  throughout  the  country  were  feel 
ing  gloomy  and  discouraged.  I  observed  by  the 
tenor  of  the  President's  remarks  that  he  felt 
keenly  and  seriously  for  the  race.  Notwithstand 
ing  a  large  number  of  people  were  waiting  to  see 
him,  he  detained  me  some  twenty  minutes,  dis 
cussing  the  condition  and  needs  of  my  race  in 
the  South.  When  I  told  him  that  I  thought  a 
visit  from  the  President  of  the  United  States  at 
that  time  to  a  Negro  institution  would  do  more 
than  almost  anything  else  to  encourage  the  race 
and  show  to  the  world  in  what  esteem  he  held  the 
race,  he  replied  that  he  was  determined  to  show 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  289 

his  interest  in  us  by  acts  rather  than  by  mere 
words,  and  that  if  I  thought  his  visit  to  Tuskegee 
would  permanently  help  the  race  and  the  institu 
tion  he  would  most  gladly  give  up  one  day  of  his 
administration  to  visit  Tuskegee. 

The  morning  of  December  16  came,  and  at 
eight  o'clock  the  President,  Mrs.  McKinley,  with 
members  of  his  cabinet,  their  families,  besides 
distinguished  generals,  including  General  Shafter, 
General  Joseph  Wheeler,  General  Lawton  and 
others,  arrived  on  special  trains  from  Atlanta.  In 
vitations  had  been  extended  to  Gov.  Joseph  F. 
Johnston,  of  Alabama,  and  his  staff.  These  were 
also  present.  The  Alabama  Legislature  was  also 
invited,  and  it  adjourned  and  came  to  Tuskegee 
in  a  body.  In  all  more  than  six  thousand  visitors 
came.  The  morning  was  spent  in  an  inspection 
of  the  grounds  and  in  witnessing  a  parade  of  all 
the  work  of  the  school,  religious,  academic  and 
industrial,  represented  on  floats.  This  over,  we 
went  to  the  large  chapel,  where  the  President, 
members  of  his  cabinet,  the  Governor,  and  others 
spoke.  A  few  extracts  from  the  addresses  of  the 
President,  Secretary  of  the  Navy  Long  and  Post 
master  General  Smith,  in  commendation  of  Tus- 
kegee's  work,  may  be  of  interest.  The  President 
said : 

u  Teachers  and  Pupils  of  Tuskegee:  To  meet 
you  under  such  pleasant  auspices  and  to  have  the 


290  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

opportunity  of  a  personal  observation  of  your 
work  is  indeed  most  gratifying.  The  Tuskegee 
Normal  and  Industrial  Institute  is  ideal  in  its  con 
ception,  and  has  already  a  large  and  growing 
reputation  in  the  country  and  is  not  unknown 
abroad.  I  congratulate  all  who  are  associated  in 
this  undertaking  for  the  good  work  which  it  is 
doing  in  the  education  of  its  students  to  lead  lives 
of  honor  and  usefulness,  thus  exalting  the  race  for 
which  it  was  established. 

"Nowhere,  I  think,  could  a  more  delightful 
location  have  been  chosen  for  this  unique  educa 
tional  experiment,  which  has  attracted  the  atten 
tion  and  won  the  support  even  of  conservative 
philanthropists  in  all  sections  of  the  country. 

"  To  speak  of  Tuskegee  without  paying  special 
tribute  to  Booker  T.  Washington's  genius  and 
perseverance  would  be  impossible.  The  incep 
tion  of  this  noble  enterprise  was  his,  and  he 
deserves  high  credit  for  it.  His  was  the  enthu 
siasm  and  enterprise  which  made  its  steady  prog 
ress  possible  and  established  in  the  institution  its 
present  high  standard  of  accomplishment.  He 
has  won  a  worthy  reputation  as  one  of  the  great 
leaders  of  his  race,  widely  known  and  much 
respected  at  home  and  abroad  as  an  accomplished 
educator,  a  great  orator  and  a  true  philanthropist. 

aWhat  steady  and  gratifying  advances  have 
been  made  here  during  the  past  fifteen  years  a 


BOOKER  T.  -WASHINGTON.  291 

personal  inspection  of  the  material  equipment 
strikingly  proves.  The  fundamental  plan  of  the 
original  undertaking  has  been  steadily  followed; 
but  new  features  have  been  added;  gaps  in  the 
course  of  instruction  have  been  filled  in;  the 
patronage  and  resources  have  been  largely  in 
creased  until  even  the  legislative  department  of 
the  State  of  Alabama  recognized  the  worth  of 
the  work  and  of  the  great  opportunities  here 
afforded.  From  one  small  frame  house  the  insti 
tution  has  grown  until  it  includes  the  fine  group 
of  dormitories,  recitation  rooms,  lecture  halls  and 
work  shops  which  have  so  surprised  and  delighted 
us  to-day.  A  thousand  students,  I  am  told,  are 
here  cared  for  by  nearly  a  hundred  teachers, 
altogether  forming  with  the  preparatory  depart 
ment  a  symmetrical  scholastic  community  which 
has  been  well  called  a  model  for  the  industrial 
colored  schools  of  the  South.  Certain  it  is  that  a 
pupil  bent  on  fitting  himself  or  herself  for 
mechanical  work  can  have  the  widest  choice  of 
useful  and  domestic  occupations. 

"One  thing  I  like  about  this  institution  is  that 
its  policy  has  been  generous  and  progressive;  it 
has  not  been  so  self-centered  or  interested  in  its 
own  pursuits  and  ambitions  as  to  ignore  what  is 
going  on  in  the  rest  of  the  country  or  make  it 
difficult  for  outsiders  to  share  the  local  advan 
tages.  I  allude  especially  to  the  spirit  in  which 


292  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

the  annual  conferences  have  been  held  by  leading 
colored  citizens  and  educators,  with  the  intention 
of  improving  the  condition  of  their  less  fortunate 
brothers  and  sisters.  Here,  we  can  see,  is  an  im 
mense  field  and  one  which  cannot  too  soon  or  too 
carefully  be  utilized.  The  conferences  have 
grown  in  popularity,  and  are  well  calculated  not 
only  to  encourage  colored  men  and  colored 
women  in  their  individual  efforts,  but  to  cultivate 
and  promote  an  amicable  relationship  between 
the  two  races — a  problem  whose  solution  was 
never  more  needed  than  at  the  present  time. 
Patience,  moderation,  self-control,  knowledge, 
character,  will  surely  win  you  victories  and  realize 
the  best  aspirations  of  your  people.  An  evidence 
of  the  soundness  of  the  purpose  of  this  institution 
is  that  those  in  charge  of  its  management 
evidently  do  not  believe  in  attempting  the  unat 
tainable,  and  their  instruction  in  self-reliance  and 
practical  industry  is  most  valuable. 

"  In  the  day  and  night  schools  many  branches 
can  be  taught  at  a  small  expense,  which  will  give 
the  man  and  the  woman  who  have  mastered  them 
immediate  employment  and  secure  their  success 
afterwards,  provided  they  abide  by  the  principles 
'of  industry,  morality  and  religion  here  inculcated. 
In  common  with  the  Hampton  Institute,  in  Vir 
ginia,  the  Tuskegee  Institute  has  been  and  is 
to-day  of  inestimable  value  in  sowing  the  seeds  of 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  293 

good  citizenship.  Institutions  of  their  standing 
and  worthy  patronage  form  a  steadier  and  more 
powerful  agency  for  the  good  of  all  concerned 
than  any  yet  proposed  or  suggested.  The  prac 
tical  is  here  associated  with  the  academic,  which 
encourages  both  learning  and  industry.  Here 
you  learn  to  master  yourselves,  find  the  best 
adaptation  of  your  faculties,  with  advantages  for 
advanced  learning  to  meet  the  high  duties  of  life. 
No  country,  epoch  or  race  has  a  monopoly  upon 
knowledge.  Some  have  easier  but  not  necessarily 
better  opportunities  for  self -development.  What 
a  few  can  obtain  free  most  have  to  pay  for,  per 
haps  by  hard  physical  labor,  mental  struggle  and 
self-denial.  But  in  this  great  country  all  can  have 
the  opportunity  for  bettering  themselves,  provided 
they  exercise  intelligence  and  perseverance,  and 
their  motives  and  conduct  are  worthy.  Nowhere 
are  such  facilities  for  universal  education  found  as 
in  the  United  States.  They  are  accessible  to  every 
boy  and  girl,  white  and  black. 

"  Integrity  and  industry  are  the  best  possessions 
which  any  man  can  have,  and  every  man  can  have 
them.  Nobody  can  give  them  to  him  or  take 
them  from  him.  He  cannot  acquire  them  by  in 
heritance;  he  cannot  buy  them  or  beg  them  or 
borrow  them.  They  belong  to  the  individual  and 
are  his  unquestioned  property.  He  alone  can 
part  with  them.  They  are  a  good  thing  to  have 


294  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

and  keep.  They  make  happy  homes;  they  achieve 
success  in  every  walk  of  life;  they  have  won  the 
greatest  triumphs  for  mankind.  No  man  who  has 
them  ever  gets  into  the  police  court  or  before  the 
grand  jury  or  in  the  workhouse  or  the  chain  gang. 
They  give  one  moral  and  material  power.  They 
will  bring  you  a  comfortable  living,  make  you 
respect  yourself  and  command  the  respect  of  your 
fellows.  They  are  indispensable  to  success.  They 
are  invincible.  The  merchant  requires  the  clerk 
whom  he  employs  to  have  them.  The  railroad 
corporation  inquires  whether  the  man  seeking 
employment  possesses  them.  Every  avenue  of 
human  endeavor  welcomes  them.  They  are  the 
only  keys  to  open  with  certainty  the  door  of  op 
portunity  to  struggling  manhood.  Employment 
waits  on  them;  capital  requires  them.  Citizen 
ship  is  not  good  without  them.  If  you  do  not 
already  have  them,  get  them. 

"  To  the  pupils  here  assembled  I  extend  my 
especial  congratulations  that  the  facilities  for  ad 
vancing  afforded  to  them  are  so  numerous  and  so 
inviting.  Those  who  are  here  for  the  time  being 
have  the  reputation  of  the  institution  in  charge 
and  should,  therefore,  be  all  the  more  careful  to 
guard  it  worthily.  Others  who  have  gone  before 
you  have  made  great  sacrifices  to  reach  the  pres 
ent  results.  What  you  do  will  affect  not  only 
those  who  come  after  you  here,  but  many  men 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  295 

and  women  whom  you  may  never  meet.  The 
results  of  your  training  and  work  here  will  event 
ually  be  felt,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  in 
nearly  every  part  of  the  country. 

"Most  of  you  are  young,  and  youth  is  the  time 
best  fitted  for  development  both  of  the  body  and 
mind.  Whatever  you  do,  do  with  all  your  might, 
with  will  and  purpose,  not  of  the  selfish  kind, 
but  looking  to  benefit  your  race  and  your  country. 
In  comparing  the  past  with  the  present  you  should 
be  especially  grateful  that  it  has  been  your  good 
fortune  to  come  within  the  influences  of  such  an 
institution  as  that  of  Tuskegee  and  that  you  are 
under  the  guidance  of  such  a  strong  leader.  I 
thank  him  most  cordially  for  the  pleasure  of  visit 
ing  this  institution,  and  I  bring  to  all  here  asso 
ciated  my  good  will  and  the  best  wishes  of  your 
countrymen,  wishing  you  the  realization  of  suc 
cess  in  whatever  undertakings  that  may  hereafter 
engage  you." 

Secretary  Long  said: 

"Mr.  President  and  Students: 

"I  cannot  make  a  speech  to  you  to-day.  My 
heart  is  too  full,  full  of  hope,  admiration  and  pride 
for  my  countrymen  of  both  sections  and  both 
colors.  I  am  filled  with  gratitude  and  admiration 
for  your  work,  and  from  this  time  forward,  I 
shall  have  absolute  confidence  in  your  progress 


296  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

and  in  the  solution  of  the  problem  in  which  you 
are  engaged. 

"The  problem,  I  say,  has  been  solved.  A 
-picture  has  been  presented  to-day  which  should 
be  put  upon  canvas  with  the  pictures  of  Wash 
ington  and  Lincoln,  and  transmitted  to  future 
time  and  generations;  a  picture  which  the  press 
of  the  country  should  spread  broadcast  over  the 
land,  a  most  dramatic  picture,  and  that  picture 
is  this:  The  President  of  the  United  States 
standing  on  this  platform;  on  one  side,  the  Gov 
ernor  of  Alabama,  on  the  other,  completing  the 
trinity,  a  representative  of  a  race  only  a  few 
years  ago  in  bondage,  the  colored  president  of 
the  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute. 

"God  bless  the  President  under  whose  majesty 
such  a  scene  as  that  is  presented  to  the  American 
people.  God  bless  the  State  of  Alabama  which 
is  showing  that  it  can  deal  with  this  problem  for 
itself.  God  bless  the  orator,  philanthropist  and 
disciple  of  the  Great  Master, — who  if  he  were  on 
earth  would  be  doing  the  same  work, — Booker 
T.  Washington." 

Postmaster  General  Smith  closed  as  follows: 

"We  have  witnessed  many  spectacles  within 
the  last  few  days.  We  have  seen  the  magnificent 
grandeur  and  the  magnificent  achievements  of  one 
of  the  great  metropolitan  cities  of  the  South.  We 
have  seen  heroes  of  the  war  pass  by  in  procession. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  299 

We  have  seen  floral  parades.  But  I  am  sure  my 
colleagues  will  agree  with  me  in  saying  that  we 
have  witnessed  no  spectacle  more  impressive  and 
more  encouraging,  more  inspiring  for  our  future 
than  that  which  we  have  witnessed  here  this 
morning. 

"  I  have  thought  as  I  sat  here  this  morning  of 
two  men,  two  great  men,  two  great  educators. 
One  of  them  was  the  founder  and  creator  of  the 
Hampton  Institute,  in  Virginia,  and  the  other  is 
the  real  creator  and  founder  and  pre-eminent  head 
of  this  great  industrial  institution  of  the  South. 
General  Armstrong  did  a  work  which  cannot  be 
measured  by  the  breadth  of  his  philanthropy,  the 
greatness  of  his  unselfishness  and  the  extent  of 
his  power  in  educating  a  people.  We  have  for 
years  mourned  his  lamented  death.  His  memory 
will  be  preserved  among  that  of  the  great  bene 
factors  of  our  people  and  our  government.  In  the 
future,  though  long  may  that  time  be  distant  so 
far  as  relates  to  the  head  of  this  institution,  in 
the  distant  future,  we  shall  be  ready  to  erect  in 
the  capitol  of  the  nation,  among  the  heroes  of  our 
country,  among  those  who  have  contributed  to  its 
upbuilding  and  to  its  salvation,  we  shall  be  ready 
to  erect  a  monument  to  these  two  great  philan- 
thropists  and  leaders  of  this  people,  General  Arm 
strong  and  Booker  T.  Washington." 

I  cannot  close  this  chapter  without  adding  a 

18 


300  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

reference  to  the  great  pleasure  and  satisfaction 
given  by  the  part  the  white  and  colored  citizens 
of  the  town  of  Tuskegee  took  in  this  recognition 
of  the  school.  A  few  years  before  this  I  had  gone 
to  Tuskegee  unknown  and  entirely  without  means, 
but  no  white  people,  in  any  part  of  America, 
could  have  acted  more  cordially  and  co-operated 
more  heartily  with  our  school  than  did  the  white 
people  of  Tuskegee  upon  this  occasion.  They 
organized  various  committees,  composed  of  both 
men  arid  women,  to  help  us  in  giving  the  President 
the  proper  reception.  The  town,  from  one  end 
to  the  other,  was  decorated  with  the  National 
colors,  to  say  nothing  of  many  beautiful  arches 
and  other  forms  of  decorations.  One  of  the  many 
newspaper  correspondents  who  accompanied  the 
President  remarked  to  me  that  he  had  never  seen 
in  any  town  of  the  size  such  generous  and  appro 
priate  decorations. 

What  the  President  and  his  party  thought  of 
this  visit  to  the  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial 
Institute  can  be  best  told  by  the  following  letter, 
received  from  the  Secretary  to  the  President: 

"EXECUTIVE  MANSION, 

WASHINGTON,  Dec.  23,  1899. 
"DEAR  SIR: — By  this  mail  I  take  pleasure  in 
sending  you  engrossed  copies  of  the  souvenir  of 
the   visit  of  the   President   to   your   institution. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  301 

These  sheets  bear  the  autographs  of  the  Presi 
dent  and  the  members  of  the  Cabinet  who  ac 
companied  him  on  the  trip.  Let  me  take  this 
opportunity  of  congratulating  you  most  heartily 
and  sincerely  upon  the  great  success  of  the  exer 
cises  provided  for  and  entertainment  furnished  us 
under  your  auspices  during  our  visit  to  Tuskegee. 
Every  feature  of  the  program  was  perfectly  exe 
cuted  and  was  viewed  or  participated  in  with  the 
heartiest  satisfaction  by  every  visitor  present. 
The  unique  exhibition  which  you  gave  of  your 
pupils  engaged  in  their  industrial  vocations  was 
not  only  artistic  but  thoroughly  impressive.  The 
tribute  paid  by  the  President  and  his  Cabinet  to 
your  work  was  none  too  high  and  forms  a  most 
encouraging  augury,  I  think,  for  the  future  pros 
perity  of  your  institution.  I  cannot  close  without 
assuring  you  that  the  modesty  shown  by  yourself 
in  the  exercises  was  most  favorably  commented 
upon  by  all  the  members  of  our  party. 

"With  best  wishes  for  the  continued  advance 
of  your  most  useful  and  patriotic  undertaking, 
kind  personal  regards,  and  the  compliments  of 
the  season,  believe  me,  always, 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

JOHN  ADDISON  PORTER, 

Secretary  to  the  President." 
"To  Pres,  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON, 

Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute, 
Tuskegee,  Ala." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  TUSKEGEE  NEGRO  CONFERENCE. 

Tuesday,  February  23,  1892,  was  a  day  mem 
orable  in  the  lives  and  fortunes  of  the  great  bulk 
of  the  Negro  population  in  the  "Black  Belt"  of  the 
South.  It  was  a  strange  and  altogether  new 
movement  in  which  the  Negro  was  called  upon  to 
participate. 

From  the  time  I  first  began  working  at  Tuske- 
gee  I  began  to  study  closely  not  only  the  young 
people  but  the  condition,  the  weak  points  and  the 
strong  points,  of  the  older  people.  I  was  very 
often  surprised  to  see  how  much  common  sense 
and  wisdom  these  older  people  possessed,  notwith 
standing  they  were  wholly  ignorant  as  far  as  the 
letter  of  the  book  was  concerned. 

About  the  first  of  January,  1892,  I  sent  out  in 
vitations  to  about  75  of  the  common,  hard-work 
ing  farmers,  as  well  as  to  mechanics,  ministers 
and  teachers,  asking  them  to  assemble  at  Tuske- 
gee  on  the  23d  of  February  and  spend  the  day  in 
talking  over  their  present  condition,  their  helps 
and  their  hindrances,  and  to  see  if  it  were  possible 
to  suggest  any  means  by  which  the  rank  and  file 

of  the  people  might  be  able  to  benefit  themselves. 

303 


304  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

I  quote  a  portion  of  the  printed  invitation  which 
was  sent  out  to  those  invited  to  attend  the  Con 
ference  : 

"In  the  Conference,  two  ends  will  be  kept  in 
view:  First,  to  find  out  the  actual  industrial, 
moral  and  educational  condition  of  the  masses. 
Second,  to  get  as  much  light  as  possible  on  what 
is  the  most  effective  way  for  the  young  men  and 
women  whom  the  Tuskegee  Institute,  and  other 
institutions,  are  educating  to  use  their  education 
in  helping  the  masses  of  the  colored  people  to  lift 
themselves  up. 

"In  this  connection,  it  may  be  said  in  general, 
that  a  very  large  majority  of  the  colored  people 
in  the  Black  Belt,  cotton  district,  are  in  debt  for 
supplies  secured  through  the  'mortgage  system,' 
rent  the  land  on  which  they  live  and  dwell  in  one- 
room  log  cabins.  The  schools  are  in  session  in  the 
country  districts  not  often  longer  than  three  months 
and  are  taught  in  most  cases  in  churches  or  log 
cabins  with  almost  no  apparatus  or  school  furniture. 

"The  poverty  and  ignorance  of  the  Negro, 
which  show  themselves  by  his  being  compelled  to 
'mortgage  his  crop,'  go  in  debt  for  the  food  and 
clothes  on  which  to  live  from  day  to  day,  are  not 
only  a  terrible  drawback  to  the  Negro  himself 
but  a  severe  drain  on  the  resources  of  the  white 
man.  Say  what  we  will,  the  fact  remains,  that  in 
the  presence  of  the  poverty  and  ignorance  of  the 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  305 

millions  of  Negroes  in  the  Black  Belt  the  material, 
moral  and  educational  interests  of  both  races  are 
making  but  slow  headway." 

In  answer  to  this  invitation  we  were  surprised 
to  find  that  nearly  400  men  and  women  of  all 
kinds  and  conditions  came.  In  my  opening  ad 
dress  I  impressed  upon  them  the  fact  that  we 
wanted  to  spend  the  first  part  of  the  day  in  hav 
ing  them  state  plainly  and  simply  just  what  their 
conditions  were.  I  told  them  that  we  wanted  no 
exaggeration  and  did  not  want  any  cut  and  dried 
or  prepared  speeches,  we  simply  wanted  each 
person  to  speak  in  a  plain,  simple  manner,  very 
much  as  he  would  if  he  were  about  his  own  fire 
side  speaking  to  the  members  of  his  own  family. 
I  also  insisted  that  we  confine  our  discussion  to 
such  matters  as  we  ourselves  could  remedy  rather 
than  in  spending  the  time  in  complaining  or  fault 
finding  about  those  things  which  we  could  not 
directly  reach.  At  the  first  meeting  of  this  Negro 
Conference  we  also  adopted  the  plan  of  having 
these  common  people  speak  themselves  and  re 
fused  to  allow  people  who  were  far  above  them 
in  education  and  surroundings  to  take  up  the 
time  in  merely  giving  advice  to  these  representa 
tives  of  the  masses. 

Very  early  in  the  history  of  these  Conferences 
I  found  that  it  meant  a  great  deal  more  to  the 
people  to  have  one  individual  who  had  succeeded 


306  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

in  getting  out  of  debt,  ceasing  to  mortgage  his 
crop  and  who  had  bought  a  home  and  who  was 
living  well,  occupy  the  time  in  telling  the  remain 
der  of  his  fellows  how  he  had  succeeded  than  in 
having  some  one  who  was  entirely  out  of  the 
atmosphere  of  the  average  farmer  occupy  the 
time  in  merely  lecturing  to  them. 

In  the  morning  of  the  first  day  of  the  Confer 
ence  we  had  as  many  representatives  from  various 
parts  as  we  had  time  in  which  to  tell  of  the  in 
dustrial  condition  existing  in  their  immediate 
community.  We  did  not  let  them  generalize  or 
tell  what  they  thought  ought  to  be  or  was  exist 
ing  in  somebody's  else  community,  we  held  each 
person  down  to  a  statement  of  the  facts  regarding 
his  own  individual  community.  For  example,  we 
had  them  state  what  proportion  of  the  people  in 
their  community  owned  land,  what  proportion 
lived  in  one-room  cabins,  how  many  were  in  debt 
and  the  number  that  mortgaged  their  crops,  and 
what  rate  of  interest  they  were  paying  on  their 
indebtedness.  Under  this  head  we  also  discussed 
the  number  of  acres  of  land  that  each  individual 
was  cultivating  and  whether  or  not  the  crop  was 
diversified  or  merely  confined  to  the  growing  of 
cotton.  We  also  got  hold  of  facts  from  the  repre 
sentatives  of  these  people  concerning  their  educa 
tional  progress ;  that  is,  we  had  them  state  whether 
or  not  a  school-house  existed,  what  kind  of  teacher 


If      E 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  311 

they  had  and  what  proportion  of  the  children  were 
attending  school.  We  did  not  stop  with  these  mat 
ters;  we  took  up  the  moral  and  religious  condi 
tion  of  the  communities,  had  them  state  to  what 
extent,  for  example,  people  had  been  sent  to  jail 
from  their  communities;  how  many  were  habitual 
drinkers;  what  kind  of  minister  they  had;  whether, 
or  not  he  was  able  to  lead  the  people  in  morality 
as  well  as  in  spiritual  affairs. 

After  we  had  got  hold  of  facts  which  enabled 
us  to  judge  of  the  actual  state  of  affairs  existing, 
we  spent  the  afternoon  of  the  first  day  in  hearing 
from  the  lips  of  these  same  people  in  what  way,  in 
their  opinion,  the  present  condition  of  things  could 
be  improved,  and  it  was  most  interesting  as  well  as 
surprising  to  see  how  clearly  these  people  saw 
into  their  present  condition,  and  how  intelligently 
they  discussed  their  weak  points  as  well  their 
strong  points.  It  was  generally  agreed  that  the 
mortgage  system,  the  habit  of  buying  on  credit 
and  paying  large  rates  of  interest,  was  at  the  bot 
tom  of  much  of  the  evil  existing  among  the  people, 
and  the  fact  that  so  large  a  proportion  of  them 
live  on  rented  land  also  had  much  to  do  with 
keeping  them  down.  The  condition  of  the  schools 
was  discussed  with  equal  frankness  and  means 
were  suggested  for  prolonging  the  school  term 
and  building  school-houses.  Almost  without  ex 
ception  they  agreed  that  the  fact  that  so  large  a 


312  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

proportion  of  the  people  live  in  one-room  cabins, 
where  there  was  almost  no  opportunity  for  privacy 
or  separation  of  the  sexes,  was  largely  responsible 
for  the  moral  condition  of  many  communities. 

When  I  asked  how  many  in  the  audience  owned 
their  homes  only  twenty-three  hands  went  up. 

Aside  from  the  colored  people  who  were  pres 
ent  at  the  Conference  who  reside  in  the  "Black 
Belt,"  there  were  many  prominent  white  and 
colored  men  from  various  parts  of  the  country, 
especially  representatives  of  the  various  religious 
organizations  engaged  in  educational  work  in  the 
South,  and  officers  and  teachers  from  several  of 
the  larger  institutions  working  in  the  South. 
There  were  correspondents  present  representing 
such  papers  as  the  New  York  Independent,  Even 
ing  Post,  New  York  Weekly  Witness,  New 
York  Tribune,  Christian  Union,  Boston  Even 
ing  Transcript,  Christian  Register,  The  Congre- 
gationalist,  Chicago  Inter-Ocean,  Chicago  Ad 
vance,  and  many  others. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  first  Conference  the 
following  set  of  declarations  was  adopted  as  show 
ing  the  concensus  of  opinion  of  those  composing 
the  Conference: 

4  We,  some  of  the  representatives  of  the  colored 
people,  living  in  the  Black  Belt,  the  heart  of  the 
South,  thinking  it  might  prove  of  interest  and 
value  tQ  our  friends  throughout  the  country,  as 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  313 

well  as  beneficial  to  ourselves,  have  met  together 
in  Conference  to  present  facts  and  express 
opinions  as  to  our  Industrial,  Moral  and  Educa 
tional  condition,  and  to  exchange  views  as  to  how 
our  own  efforts  and  the  kindly  helpfulness  of  our 
friends  may  best  contribute  to  our  elevation. 

"First.  Set  at  liberty  with  no  inheritance  but 
our  bodies,  without  training  in  self-dependence, 
and  thrown  at  once  into  commercial,  civil  and 
political  relations  with  our  former  owners,  we 
consider  it  a  matter  of  great  thankfulness  that  our 
condition  is  as  good  as  it  is,  and  that  so  large  a 
degree  of  harmony  exists  between  us  and  our 
white  neighbors. 

"Second.  Industrially  considered,  most  of  our 
people  are  dependent  upon  agriculture.  The  ma 
jority  of  them  live  on  rented  lands,  mortgage  their 
crops  for  the  food  on  which  to  live  from  year  to 
year,  and  usually  at  the  beginning  of  each  year 
are  more  or  less  in  debt  for  the  supplies  of  the 
previous  year. 

"Third.  Not  only  is  our  own  material  progress 
hindered  by  the  mortgage  system,  but  also  that 
of  our  white  friends.  It  is  a  system  that  tempts 
us  to  buy  much  that  we  would  do  without  if  cash 
was  required  and  it  tends  to  lead  those  who 
advance  the  provisions  and  lend  the  money,  to 
extravagant  prices  and  ruinous  rates  of  interest. 

"Fourth.     In  a  moral  and  religious  sense,  while 


314  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

we  admit  there  is  much  laxness  in  morals  and 
superstition  in  religion,  yet  we  feel  that  much 
progress  has  been  made,  that  there  is  a  growing 
public  sentiment  in  favor  of  purity,  and  that  the 
people  are  fast  coming  to  make  their  religion  less 
of  superstition  and  emotion  and  more  of  a  matter 
of  daily  living. 

"Fifth.  As  to  our  educational  condition,  it  is  to 
be  noted  that  our  country  schools  are  in  session 
on  an  average  only  three  and  a  half  months  each 
year;  the  Gulf  States  are  as  yet  unable  to  provide 
school-houses  and  as  a  result  the  schools  are  held 
almost  ont  of  doors  or  at  best  in  such  rude 
quarters  as  the  poverty  of  the  people  is  able  to 
provide;  the  teachers  are  poorly  paid  and  often 
very  poorly  fitted  for  their  work,  as  a  result  of 
which  both  parents  and  pupils  take  but  little  in 
terest  in  the  schools,  often  but  few  children  attend 
ing,  and  these  with  great  irregularity. 

"Sixth.  That  in  view  of  our  general  condition, 
we  would  suggest  the  following  remedies:  (i) 
That  as  far  as  possible  we  aim  to  raise  at  home 
our  own  meat  and  bread;  (2)  that  as  fast  as  pos 
sible  we  buy  land,  even  though  a  very  few  acres 
at  a  time;  (3)  that  a  larger  number  of  our  young 
people  be  taught  trades,  and  that  they  be  urged 
to  prepare  themselves  to  enter  as  largely  as  pos 
sible  all  the  various  avocations  of  life;  (4)  that 
we  especially  try  to  broaden  the  field  of  labor  for 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  315 

our  women;  (5)  that  we  make  every  sacrifice  and 
practice  every  form  of  economy  that  we  may 
purchase  land  and  free  ourselves  from  our  bur 
densome  habit  of  living  in  debt;  (6)  that  we  urge 
our  ministers  and  teachers  to  give  more  attention 
to  the  material  condition  and  home  life  of  the 
people;  (7)  that  we  urge  that  our  people  do  not 
depend  entirely  upon  the  State  to  provide  school- 
houses  and  lengthen  the  time  of  the  schools,  but 
that  they  take  hold  of  the  matter  themselves  where 
the  State  leaves  off,  and  by  supplementing  the 
public  funds  from  their  own  pockets  and  by  build 
ing  school-houses,  bring  about  the  desired  results; 
(8)  that  we  urge  patrons  to  give  earnest  attention 
to  the  mental  and  moral  fitness  of  those  who 
teach  their  schools;  (9)  that  we  urge  the  doing 
away  with  all  sectarian  prejudice  in  the  manage 
ment  of  the  schools. 

"Seventh.  As  the  judgment  of  this  Conference 
we  would  further  declare:  That  we  put  on  record 
our  deep  sense  of  gratitude  to  the  good  people  of 
all  sections  for  their  assistance  and  that  we  are 
glad  to  recognize  a  growing  interest  on  the  part 
of  the  best  white  people  of  the  South  in  the  edu 
cation  of  the  Negro. 

"Eighth.  That  we  appreciate  the  spirit  of 
friendliness  and  fairness  shown  us  by  the  Southern 
white  people  in  matters  of  business  in  all  lines  of 
material  development. 


316  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

"Ninth.  That  we  believe  our  generous  friends 
of  the  country  can  best  aid  in  our  elevation  by 
continuing  to  give  their  help  where  it  will  result 
in  producing  strong  Christian  leaders  who  will 
live  among  the  masses  as  object  lessons,  show 
ing  them  how  to  direct  their  own  efforts  towards 
the  general  uplifting  of  the  people. 

"Tenth.  That  we  believe  we  can  become  pros 
perous,  intelligent  and  independent  where  we  are, 
and  discourage  any  efforts  at  wholesale  emigra 
tion,  recognizing  that  our  home  is  to  be  in  the 
South,  and  we  urge  that  all  strive  in  every  way 
to  cultivate  the  good  feeling  and  friendship  of 
those  about  us  in  all  that  relates  to  our  mutual 
elevation." 

At  the  present  writing  eight  of  these  Confer 
ences  have  been  held.  I  shall  not  occupy  space 
in  describing  in  detail  each  one  of  these  annual 
Conferences  except  to  say  that  each  Conference 
has  grown  in  numbers,  interest  and  value  to  the 
people.  Very  often  as  many  as  two  thousand 
representatives  assemble  at  these  meetings,  which 
are  usually  held  in  the  latter  part  of  February. 
Representatives  now  come  from  not  only  most  all 
parts  of  Alabama  but  from  practically  all  of  the 
Southern  States.  Similar  Conferences  have  also 
been  organized  in  other  states,  notably  Texas, 
South  Carolina  and  North  Carolina.  Aside  from 
these  state  Conferences,  local  Conferences  which 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  317 

meet  as  a  rule  monthly  and  bring  together  the 
people  in  each  community  or  county  are  now  in 
existence  in  many  parts  of  the  South,  and  the 
people  find  these  meetings  a  great  means  of  help 
ing  themselves  forward.  One  of  our  teachers  at 
the  present  time  gives  the  greater  part  of  the 
year  to  the  work  of  organizing  and  stimulating 
these  local  Conferences  in  various  parts  of  the 
South.  The  people  look  forward  eagerly  each 
year  to  the  assembling  of  the  large  or  central 
Negro  Conference  at  Tuskegee  and  they  are  always 
anxious  to  give  their  reports.  The  spirit  of  hope 
fulness  and  encouragement  which  now  character 
izes  these  Conferences,  as  compared  with  the 
rather  depressed  and  hopeless  feeling  existing 
when  the  first  Conference  met,  is  most  interesting. 
Many  communities  in  the  Conference  held  in 
recent  years  have  been  able  to  report  that  the 
people  are  ceasing  to  mortgage  their  crops,  are 
buying  land,  building  houses  with  two  or  three 
rooms,  and  their  school  terms  in  many  cases  have 
been  extended  from  three  to  six  and  eight  months, 
and  that  the  moral  atmosphere  of  the  community 
has  been  cleansed  and  improved.  These  Confer 
ences  have  served  to  make  the  people  aware  of 
their  own  inherent  strength;  to  let  them  feel  and 
understand  how  much  they  can  do  toward  im 
proving  their  own  condition  when  once  they  make 


318  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

up  their  minds  to  make  the  effort,  and  the  results 
from  every  point  of  view  are  most  gratifying. 

In  order  to  show  something  of  the  spirit  and  in 
terest  that  characterizes  these  Conferences  I  give 
verbatim  extracts  from  a  few  addresses  delivered 
at  a  recent  Conference  by  some  of  these  Black  Belt 
Negroes.  "This  Conference  is  doing  untold  good," 
said  a  very  intelligent  farmer  and  preacher  of 
about  fifty  years  of  age  who  has  attended  all  the 
Conferences.  "Since  I  went  back  home  from  the 
first  one  and  told  the  people  about  it  they  have 
gone  to  work  and  bought  over  two  thousand  acres 
of  land.  Much  of  it  has  already  been  paid  for. 
I  thank  God  on  my  knees  for  these  Conferences. 
They  are  giving  us  homes."  Another  man  who 
could  not  come  himself  to  a  recent  Conference 
sent  a  letter  saying  that  seven  of  his  neighbors 
had  bought  themselves  homes.  One  woman  re 
ported  that  she  had  raised  four  hundred  pounds  of 
pork  and  had  also  raised  corn  enough  to  enable 
her  to  live  without  mortgaging  her  crop.  Over 
one  hundred  in  all  reported  that  they  had  paid  for 
homes.  Another  man  said,  "We  are  not  what 
we  ought  to  be,  we  are  sadly  lacking  but  we  are 
one  hundred  per  cent,  better  than  we  were  twenty 
years  ago  and  we  are  going  to  be  better  than  we 
are."  Another  remarked  with  a  great  deal  of 
emphasis,  "It  makes  a  man  more  truthful  when 
he  owns  land,  and  I  know  when  he  gives  his  word 


BOOKER  T.WASHINGTON.  321 

he  cannot  run  away.  To  own  property  is  to  own 
character."  Another  farmer  from  Macon  County 
said:  "The  nigger  race  ain't  such  a  bugaboo  as 
you  think.  The  trouble  with  our  people  is  we 
don't  understand  ourselves;  we  don't  have  self- 
reliance  and  self-government*  Eight  years  ago 
I  didn't  have  even  a  meat  skin,  now  I  have  got 
eighty  acres  of  land  and  five  mules,  all  paid  for. 
You  must  be  a  man.  Say  sink  or  swim,  I'm 
coming  on  top;  if  you  don't  you  won't  amount  to 
anything.  Some  of  our  race  is  so  shiftless  that  if 
their  own  mother  should  rise  from  the  grave  after 
twenty  years,  and  come  into  the  house  and  say, 
'Son,  give  me  a  cup  of  coffee,  I've  been  walking 
all  night,7  he  couldn't  do  it.  You  make  a  mort 
gage  and  then  you  get  everything  you  want,  not 
everything  you  need.  I  had  a  start  once  before, 
and  I  got  a  couple  of  old  horses  and  a  buggy  and 
I  rid  around  too  much  and  I  got  down.  Then  I 
promised  the  Lord  if  he  would  forgive  me  and 
help  me  to  start  again  I  would  do  better.  Now 
I  work  from  Monday  to  Saturday.  A  heap  of 
our  people  don't  like  that  part  of  the  Bible  which 
says  'six  days  thou  shalt  work.'  When  a  colored 
man  dies  the  merchant  makes  more  than  on  any 
other  day,  because  you  have  all  got  to  dress  up, 
hire  buggies,  and  ride  around  and  go  to  the 
funeral.  I  don't  want  anybody's  foot  on  my  neck. 
I  don't  go  and  say,  'Mas'r  Joe,  please  sir,  I  wants 
10 


322  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK. 

a  little  flour  or  I  wants  a  little  coffee  for  my  old 
lady,'  but  when  I  want  anything  I  just  go  and  get 
it.  You  must  not  sit  down  and  trust  God ;  if  you 
do  you'll  starve.  Get  up  and  go  to  work  and 
trust  God  and  you'll  get  rich." 

Then  Father  Mitchell,  who  is  a  colored  minister, 
said:  "Now,  keep  quiet;  we'sgettin'  along  slowly. 
I  wish  our  neighborhood  was  like  dat  brother's  as 
jest  spoke.  You  give  me  a  good  lick  for  a  young 
man,  Mr.  President;  but,  sir,  if  we  had  twenty 
men  like  you  we'd  get  happy  'fore  we  enter 
heaven.  We  make  a  heap  of  corn  and  potatoes." 
"How  about  morals  ?"  asked  some  one.  "Well, 
now,  I'll  tell  you  about  dat.  I'd  thank  my  Re 
deemer  to  send  me  some  morals  down  to  my 
neighborhood.  I  am  putting  up  a  big  Baptist 
Church  down  on  the  Sam  road,  an'  I  hope  I'll  be 
able  to  do  my  people  some  good." 

At  the  time  of  .the  organization  of  the  Annual 
Negro  Farmers'  Conference,  it  was  decided  to 
make  a  special  effort  to  secure  the  attendance 
of  the  representatives  of  the  various  educa 
tional,  religious  and  philanthropic  institutions 
in  the  South  for  the  elevation  of  the  Negro. 
This  attempt  was  quite  successful,  so  much  so 
that  in  addition  to  the  regular  delegates  at  the 
Negro  Conference  quite  a  large  number  of  edu 
cators  and  others  began  assembling  to  witness  the 
proceedings  of  the  Negro  Conference.  During 


BOOKER  T.WASHINGTON.  323 

the  session  of  the  Conference  it  was  determined  to 
organize  what  is  known  as  the  u  Worker's  Con 
ference,"  composed  of  educators,  etc.,  interested 
in  the  elevation  of  the  Negro.  It  was  decided  to 
ask  the  members  of  the  Worker's  Conference  to 
be  present  and  witness  the  proceedings  of  the  reg 
ular  Negro  Conference  in  order  that  they  might 
get  information  at  first  hand  as  to  the  condition 
and  needs  of  the  colored  people.  The  following 
day  the  Worker's  Conference  was  called  and 
based  its  proceedings  in  a  large  measure  upon  the 
lessons  learned  the  previous  day  at  the  Farmers' 
Conference.  The  Worker's  Conference  has  now 
been  in  existence  many  years  and  is  a  very  im 
portant  and  far-reaching  institution;  in  fact,  it  is 
the  only  organization  that  brings  together  annually 
the  various  officers  and  teachers  connected  with 
the  large  religious  and  educational  enterprises  in 
the  South.  We  have  had  regularly  present  at  the 
Worker's  Conference  representatives  from  such 
institutions  as  the  Hampton  Institute,  Atlanta 
University,  Clark  University,  Atlanta  Baptist 
College,  Gammon  Theological  Seminary,  Spelman 
Seminary,  Morris  Brown  College,  Fisk  Univer 
sity,  Central  Tennessee  College,  Straight  Uni 
versity,  Talladega  College,  Tougaloo  University, 
Lincoln  University,  Selma  University,  and  many 
others  which  I  have  not  space  to  mention;  in  fact, 
I  think  every  educational  institution  of  any  im- 


324  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

portance  for  the  Negro  has  been  represented  at 
one  or  more  of  these  Worker's  Conferences.  Be 
sides  these,  we  often  have  present  the  secretaries 
of  the  various  religious  organizations  doing  work 
in  the  South. 

The  subjects  discussed  in  these  Worker's  Con 
ferences  are  of  a  wide  range.  At  the  last  Confer 
ence  the  time  was  occupied  in  a  discussion  of  how 
the  various  educational  institutions  in  the  South 
could  serve  to  bring  about  more  satisfactory  re 
lations  between  the  two  races  in  the  South.  The 
discussion  was  free,  open  and  most  helpful.  In 
fact,  it  is  well  understood  that  in  all  of  these 
gatherings  at  Tuskegee  there  is  the  utmost  frank 
ness  and  liberality  allowed  as  to  opinion  and  dis 
cussion.  The  Worker's  Conferences  are  growing 
in  numbers  and  interest  and  have  now  become  a 
permanent  part  of  the  educational  machinery  of 
the  South. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A  VACATION   IN  EUROPE. 

In  the  spring  of  1899  a  rather  notable  meeting 
was  held  in  Boston,  in  the  afternoon,  at  the  Hollis 
Street  Theatre.  This  meeting  was  gotten  up  in 
the  interest  of  the  Tuskegee  Institute,  by  friends 
of  the  institution,  in  Boston  for  the  purpose  of 
raising  money  for  the  school.  It  was  presided 
over  by  Bishop  Lawrence,  bishop  of  Massachu 
setts.  I  invited  to  speak  with  me  at  this  meeting 
Dr.  W.  E.  B.  DuBois  and  Mr.  Paul  Laurence 
Dunbar.  Dr.  DuBois  read  an  original  story  and 
Mr.  Dunbar  recited  from  his  own  poems.  The 
theatre  was  filled  with  representatives  of  the  most 
cultured  and  wealthy  men  and  women  in  Boston, 
and  was  said  to  be  the  most  successful  meeting  of 
the  kind  that  had  been  held  for  a  good  while.  An 
admission  was  charged  at  the  door  and  a  gener 
ous  sum  was  raised  for  the  school.  This  was  the 
first  time  that  Mr.  Dunbar  had  appeared  in  Bos 
ton  and  his  readings  produced  a  most  favorable 
effect.  The  same  was  true  of  Dr.  DuBois. 

During  this  same  year  I  received  an  invitation 
which  surprised  me  somewhat.  It  was  an  invita 
tion  from  the  secretary  of  the  Birmingham,  Ala 
bama,  Lyceum,  a  white  literary  organization^ 

325 


326  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

composed  of  the  best  and  most  cultured  people  in 
the  city  of  Birmingham,  Alabama,  inviting  me  to 
address  the  Lyceum.  I  accepted  this  invitation 
to  deliver  an  address  before  the  organization  on 
the  3oth  of  March.  There  was  some  adverse 
criticism  and  some  protests  through  the  news 
papers,  and  otherwise,  on  the  part  of  a  certain 
element  of  white  people  in  Birmingham;  in  fact, 
some  effort  was  made  to  prevent  white  ladies 
from  attending,  but  I  was  surprised  and  gratified 
when  I  appeared  before  the  audience  to  find  the 
room  filled  with  representatives  of  the  best  ladies 
and  gentlemen  of  Birmingham,  and  I  have  never 
spoken  before  any  organization  where  my  words 
were  more  heartily  and  more  kindly  received  than 
was  true  on  this  occasion.  I  give  one  or  two  short 
extracts  from  Birmingham  newspapers  which  in. 
dicate  how  my  address  was  received.  This  was 
the  first  time  that  I  had  ever  received  an  invita 
tion  to  address  a  white  literary  organization  in  the 
South,  although  during  the  winter  of  the  same 
year  I  had  delivered  an  address  before  the  Na 
tional  Farmer's  Association,  which  met  at  Fort 
Worth,  Texas. 

Immediately  after  the  public  meeting  held  in 
Boston  in  the  Hollis  Street  Theatre,  some  friends 
of  mine  in  Boston  noted  that  I  seemed  to  be  rather 
worn  out  as  a  result  of  nearly  eighteen  years  of 
continuous  work,  without  any  vacation  during  the 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  327 

winter  or  summer.  Without  our  knowledge,  they 
quietly  started  a  movement  to  raise  a  certain  sum 
of  money  to  be  used  in  sending  Mrs.  Washington 
and  myself  to  Europe,  where  we  could  rest  for 
two  or  three  months.  This  plan  was  a  very  great 
surprise  to  us,  and  it  seemed  difficult  for  us  to 
make  up  our  minds  to  leave  the  school  for  so  long 
a  time,  but  these  friends  insisted  that  we  owed  it 
to  the  work  and  to  ourselves  to  take  the  vacation. 
The  result  was  that  we  sailed  for  Europe  on  the 
loth  of  May  and  remained  abroad  until  the  5th 
of  August.  We  had  a  very  pleasant  and  delight 
ful  trip  across  the  ocean  and  made  many  friends 
on  the  voyage.  I  was  called  upon  to  speak  on 
the  steamer  going  and  had  a  large  and  interest 
ing  audience.  After  a  voyage  of  ten  days  we 
landed  at  Antwerp,  Belgium,  and  remained  there 
a  short  while.  We  then  took  a  trip  through  the 
country  in  company  with  some  New  York  friends, 
whose  acquaintance  we  made  on  the  voyage.  In 
Holland  we  traveled  on  the  canal  boats,  which 
gave  us  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  inner  life  of 
the  country  people,  and  also  the  agricultural  life 
of  the  people. 

I  was  especially  anxious  to  study  the  agri 
cultural  and  dairy  systems,  with  a  view  to 
utilizing  the  information  in  our  work  at  Tuskegee. 
The  thorough  cultivation  of  the  soil,  for  which 
this  country  is  noted,  made  a  deep  impression 


328  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

upon  me.  There  are  few  other  countries,  if  any 
in  the  world,  where  the  soil  is  so  thoroughly  cul 
tivated  as  in  Holland.  The  dairy  interests  there 
present  an  interesting  and  valuable  field  for  study. 
While  in  Holland  we  visited  The  Hague,  where 
the  International  Peace  Congress  was  in  session, 
and  were  shown  many  courtesies  by  the  Ameri 
can  members  of  the  Peace  Conference.  After 
remaining  for  some  time  in  Holland  we  returned 
to  Antwerp  and  spent  some  time  there,  and  after 
wards  proceeded  to  Brussels,  where  we  had  a 
pleasant  stay.  From  Brussels  we  went  to  Paris, 
where  we  remained  nearly  six  weeks.  In  Paris 
we  received  much  kind  attention  from  General 
Horace  Porter,  the  American  Ambassador,  and 
his  wife,  as  well  as  from  other  American  and 
French  people.  Soon  « after  reaching  Paris  I 
received  an  invitation  to  deliver  an  address  before 
the  American  University  Club,  an  organization 
composed  mainly  of  American  college  men  resid 
ing  in  Paris.  The  American  Ambassador,  Gen. 
Horace  Porter,  presided  at  this  meeting,  and  in 
addition  to  myself  the  speakers  were  Ex-president 
Benjamin  Harrison  and  Archbishop  Ireland.  I 
was  also  invited  to  deliver  an  address  the  follow 
ing  Sunday  in  the  American  chapel,  which  I  did. 
Mrs.  Washington  and  I  attended  a  reception 
given  by  the  American  Ambassador,  where  we 
met  many  prominent  people. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  329 

I  went  to  Europe  mainly  for  the  purpose  of  se 
curing  complete  rest,  and  notwithstanding  the 
many  engagements  which  constantly  pressed 
themselves  upon  me,  I  succeeded  in  getting  a 
great  deal  of  needed  strength,  especially  was  this 
true  in  Paris.  From  Paris  we  went  to  London 
and  arrived  there  just  in  the  midst  of  the  social 
season.  We  had  many  letters  of  introduction 
from  friends  in  America  to  influential  people  in 
England,  and  our  stay  in  England  was  occupied 
mainly  in  a  continual  round  of  social  engagements. 

Soon  after  reaching  London,  friends  insisted 
that  I  should  deliver  an  address  to  the  public  on 
the  race  problem  in  the  South.  The  American 
Ambassador,  Hon.  Joseph  H.  Choate,  was  espe 
cially  anxious  that  I  consent  to  do  this.  A  meet 
ing  was  arranged  to  take  place  in  Essex  Hall. 
In  connection  with  this  meeting  Rev.  Brooke 
Herford,  D.  D.,  whom  I  had  formerly  known  in 
Boston,  gave  Mrs.  Washington  and  myself  a 
reception.  The  meeting  was  largely  attended, 
and  Mr.  Choate,  the  American  Ambassador,  pre 
sided.  The  substance  of  what  Mr.  Choate  and 
myself  said  at  this  meeting  was  widely  circulated 
in  England  and  telegraphed  to  the  American 
press.  This  meeting  was  attended  by  such  well- 
known  people  as  Hon.  James  Bryce,  who  also 
spoke,  and  many  high  officials  and  members  of 
titled  families  in  England.  After  this  meeting  I 


330  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

received  many  invitations  to  speak  at  other 
gatherings,  but  as  far  as  possible  excused  myself 
from  doing  so,  in  order  that  I  might  secure  the 
rest  for  which  I  went  to  Europe.  I  did,  however, 
consent  to  speak  at  a  meeting  at  the  Crystal  Pal 
ace,  which  was  presided  over  by  the  Duke  of 
Westminster,  said  to  be  the  richest  man  in  the 
world.  This  meeting  was  also  largely  attended. 
We  attended,  among  many  other  social  functions, 
receptions  given  by  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of 
Sutherland,  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  Fischer  Unwin, 
Mrs.  Unwin  being  the  daughter  of  the  late 
Richard  Cobden.  Lady  Henry  Somerset  was 
very  kind  in  her  attention  to  us. 

While  in  London  the  following  editorial  ap 
peared  in  the  Daily  Chronicle: 

"  The  presence  in  London  of  Mr.  Booker  T. 
Washington,  at  whose  address  the  other  evening 
the  American  Ambassador  presided,  calls  for 
a  generous  recognition  of  the  remarkable  work 
being  done  in  the  United  States  for  the  Negro 
by  this  gifted  member  of  the  Negro  race.  What 
Frederick  Douglass  was  to  an  older  generation 
that  Mr.  Washington  is  to  the  present.  At  the 
recent  visit  of  President  McKinley  to  the  South, 
Mr.  Washington  occupied  a  place  of  honor  along 
side  the  President,  and  was  almost  as  heartily 
acclaimed.  When  one  recalls  the  tremendous 
1  color '  feeling  in  America,  such  a  fact  is  exceed- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  331 

ingly  striking.  The  great  work  which  Mr. 
Washington  has  done  has  been  an  educational 
work.  Orator  as  he  is,  it  is  not  so  much  his 
power  of  speech  as  the  building  up  of  the  remark 
able  industrial  institute  at  Tuskegee,  in  Alabama, 
which  has  given  this  Negro  leader  his  deserved 
fame.  The  Civil  War  left  the  Negro  legally  and 
nominally  free,  and  the  legislation  after  the  war 
was  over  made  him  legally  and  nominally  a  citi 
zen.  But  we  know  that  the  Negro  has  been  in 
fact  in  a  very  different  position  from  that  which 
he  occupied  on  paper.  He  has  been  insulted  by 
degrading  legislation,  he  has  been  in  many  states 
virtually  deprived  of  his  vote,  and  in  not  a  few 
cases  an  election  dispute  has  afforded  the  domi 
nant  white  man  an  excuse  for  slaughter  of  the 
blacks.  The  Negro  has  retaliated  in  his  bar 
barous  way.  Though  religious  in  the  most 
emotional  form,  he  is  often  non-moral,  and  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  he  has  committed  many 
grave  offenses  against  social  order. 

"Mr.  Washington,  though  an  enthusiastic 
advocate  of  the  claims  of  his  race,  is  by  no  means 
blind  to  the  faults  which  render  so  many  Negroes 
almost  unfit  for  American  citizenship.  He  saw 
long  ago,  what  so  many  American  politicians 
who  gave  the  suffrage  to  the  colored  population 
did  not  see — that  the  most  important  service 
which  could  be  rendered  to  the  blacks  was  to 


332  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

make  useful  artisans  and  workmen  of  them.  As 
a  result  of  his  meditation  on  the  condition  of  the 
colored  people,  Mr.  Washington  founded  the 
Tuskegee  Institute  in  the  Black  Belt  of  Ala 
bama,  stumped  the  Union  for  funds,  interested  in 
his  great  undertaking  all  the  best  minds  of  the 
Northern  States,  and  has  had  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  this  institution  grow  to  its  present  status 
of  the  largest  and  most  important  training  centre 
of  the  black  race  in  the  world.  Here,  where 
both  sexes  are  welcomed  on  terms  of  equality, 
the  Negro  is  taken  in  hand,  given  the  rudiments 
of  education,  taught  a  useful  trade,  taught  also, 
if  he  proves  capable,  the  higher  branches  of 
modern  culture,  subjected  to  high  intellectual  and 
ethical  influences,  and  made  a  man  of  in  the  true 
sense  of  the  word.  No  better  work  is  being  done 
in  America  at  the  present  hour  than  in  this 
remarkable  institution  in  Alabama. 

"  That  the  American  conscience  is  being  roused 
to  its  duty  to  the  Negroes  is  evident  from  the 
recent  important  conference  at  which  two  lead 
ing  speakers  were  an  ex-Governor  of  Georgia 
and  a  Bishop  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  The 
horrible  burnings  and  improvised  hangings  by 
white  mobs,  who  took  the  law  into  their  hands, 
have  awakened  the  people  of  the  North,  and  it  is 
very  properly  asked  whether  those  who  permit 
such  brutalities  in  their  own  borders  are  fit  to 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  833 

assume  control  of  black  and  yellow  races  in  the 
Pacific.  Ex-Governor  Northen,  of  Georgia,  took 
the  North  to  task  for  having  been  more  respons 
ible  for  the  spread  of  slavery  than  the  South,  and 
he  defended,  but  without  much  success,  the 
Southern  whites  against  the  attacks  make  on 
them.  The  Bishop,  it  is  gratifying  to  find,  took 
the  strong  ground  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde 
pendence,  and  asserted  the  equal  right  of  black 
and  white  to  the  common  rights  which  the  law 
and  the  Constitution  allow.  But  the  important 
principle  which  emerges  clearly  from  the  long 
discussion  that  took  place  at  this  conference  is 
that  a  laissezfaire  policy  is  impossible  in  the  case 
of  the  Negro.  You  cannot  ' emancipate'  him 
alone.  He  must  be  educated,  his  character  must 
be  formed,  he  must  be  made  a  useful  and  self- 
reliant  being.  This  is  precisely  what  is  being 
done  at  the  Tuskegee  Institute,  and  therefore,  its 
founder  is  solving,  as  far  as  one  man  can,  one  of 
the  chief  American  problems  of  the  time.  And 
what  a  problem!  The  practical  humanising 
and  elevation  from  barbarism  of  dusky  millions 
on  whose  own  future  the  future  of  the  United 
States  largely  depends." 

Perhaps  the  most  interesting  and  restful  part 
of  our  visit  to  England  was  the  time  that  we 
spent  as  the  guest  of  various  English  people  in 
their  country  homes.  In  order  for  one  to  appre- 


334  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

ciate  what  English  life  really  is  he  should  have 
an  opportunity  to  get  into  the  daily  life  of  an 
English  gentleman  in  his  country  residence. 

We  visited  Bristol,  where  we  were  given  a 
reception  by  the  Women's  Liberty  Club,  and  also 
Manchester,  Liverpool  and  Birmingham.  In 
Birmingham  we  spent  several  days  as  the  guests 
of  Mr.  Joseph  Sturge,  who  kindly  gave  us  a 
reception,  at  which  we  met  many  of  the  promi 
nent  citizens  of  Birmingham.  Of  course  we 
visited  a  great  many  places  of  historical  interest 
and  had  an  opportunity  of  looking  into  the  meth 
ods  of  education  in  England.  We  were  specially 
interested  in  the  work  of  the  large  polytechnic 
institutes  and  the  agricultural  colleges,  from  which 
we  got  a  great  deal  of  valuable  information. 

While  in  Europe  I  wrote  a  series  of  letters  for 
the  American  Negro  press,  which  was  widely 
published  and  commented  upon. 

During  our  stay  in  London  I  took  special  pains 
to  inquire  into  the  opportunities  for  our  people  to 
better  their  condition  by  emigrating  to  Africa, 
and  convinced  myself  that  there  was  little,  if  any, 
hope  of  our  people  being  able  to  better  their  con 
dition  by  returning  to  Africa,  largely  because 
Africa  is  almost  completely  divided  up  among 
various  European  nations,  leaving  almost  no  hope 
for  self-government  in  any  part  of  Africa,  except 
in  the  little  republic  of  Liberia,  which  is  notably 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  335 

unhealthy  and  undesirable  from  almost  every 
point  of  view.  I  found  out  that  in  many  cases 
the  Negroes  are  treated  by  Europeans  in  Africa 
almost  as  badly  as  they  have  ever  been  treated  in 
the  South.  The  letter  which  I  wrote  from  Lon 
don  on  this  subject  was  very  widely  copied  and 
commented  upon  by  the  American  press. 

While  I  was  in  Europe  cases  of  lynching  of 
our  people  were  especially  frequent  in  the  South 
and  in  order  to  assist  in  checking  this  "injustice 
perpetrated  upon  the  race,  I  addressed  the  follow 
ing  letter  to  the  Southern  people,  which  was 
widely  published  throughout  the  country  and 
seemed  to  do  much  good.  It  was  heartily  com 
mented  upon  editorially  in  the  Southern  press : 

"Several  times  during  the  last  few  months, 
while  our  country  has  been  shocked  because  of 
the  lynching  of  Negro  citizens  in  several  states, 
I  was  asked  by  many,  and  was  tempted  to  say 
something  upon  the  subject  through  the  press. 
At  the  time  of  these  lynchings  I  kept  silent,  be 
cause  I  did  not  believe  that  the  public  mind  was 
in  a  condition  to  listen  to  a  discussion  of  the  sub 
ject  in  the  calm  judicial  manner  that  it  would  be 
later,  when  there  should  be  no  undue  feeling  or 
excitement.  In  the  discussion  of  this  or  any  other 
matter,  little  good  is  accomplished  unless  we  are 
perfectly  frank.  There  is  no  white  man  of  the 
South  who  has  more  sincere  love  for  it  than  I 


336  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

have,  and  nothing  could  tempt  me  to  write  or 
speak  that  which  I  did  not  think  was  for  the  per 
manent  good  of  all  the  people  of  the  South. 
Whenever  adverse  criticism  is  made  upon  the 
South  I  feel  it  as  keenly  as  any  member  of  the 
white  race  can  feel  it.  It  is,  therefore,  my  inter 
est  in  everything  which  appertains  to  the  South 
that  prompts  me  to  write  as  I  do  now.  While  it 
is  true  that  there  are  cases  of  lynchings  and  out 
rage  in  the  Northern  and  Western  States,  candor 
compels  us  to  admit  that  by  far  the  most  of  the 
cases  of  lynchings  take  place  in  our  Southern 
States,  and  that  most  of  the  persons  lynched  are 
Negroes. 

"With  all  the  earnestness  of  my  heart,  I  want 
to  appeal,  not  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  Mr.  McKinley;  not  to  the  people  of  New 
York  nor  of  the  New  England  States,  but  to  the 
citizens  of  our  Southern  States,  to  assist  in  creat 
ing  a  public  sentiment  such  as  will  make  human 
life  here  just  as  safe  and  sacred  as  it  is  anywhere 
else  in  the  world. 

"For  a  number  of  years  the  South  has  appealed 
to  the  North  and  to  Federal  authorities,  through 
the  public  press,  from  the  public  platform,  and 
most  eloquently  through  the  late  Henry  W. 
Grady,  to  leave  the  whole  matter  of  the  rights 
and  protection  of  the  Negro  to  the  South,  declar 
ing  that  it  would  see  to  it  that  the  Negro  would 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  337 

be  made  secure  in  his  citizenship.  During  the 
last  half  dozen  years  the  whole  country,  from 
the  President  down,  has  been  inclined  more  than 
ever  to  pursue  this  policy,  leaving  the  whole 
matter  of  the  destiny  of  the  Negro  to  the  Negro 
himself  and  to  the  Southern  white  people  among 
whom  the  great  bulk  of  the  Negroes  live. 

"  By  the  present  policy  of  non-interference,  on 
the  part  of  the  North  and  the  Federal  Govern 
ment,  the  South  is  given  a  sacred  trust.  How 
will  she  execute  this  trust?  The  world  is  wait 
ing  and  watching  to  see.  The  question  must  be 
answered  largely  by  the  protection  the  South 
gives  to  the  life  of  the  Negro  and  the  provisions 
that  are  made  for  the  development  of  the  Negro 
in  the  organic  laws  of  the  state.  I  fear  that  but 
few  people  in  the  South  realize  to  what  extent 
the  habit  of  lynching,  or  the  taking  of  life  with 
out  due  process  of  law,  has  taken  hold  of  us,  and 
to  what  extent  it  is  hurting  us,  not  only  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world,  but  in  our  own  moral  and 
material  growth. 

"Lynching  was  instituted  some  years  ago,  with 
the  idea  of  punishing  and  checking  outrage  upon 
women.  Let  us  examine  the  cold  facts  and  see 
where  it  has  already  led  us,  and  where  it  is  likely 
further  to  carry  us,  if  we  do  not  rid  ourselves  of 
the  habit.  Many  good  people  in  the  South,  and 
also  out  of  the  South,  have  gotten  the  idea 


338  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

that  lynching  is  resorted  to  for  one  crime  only. 
I  have  the  facts  from  an  authoritative  source. 
During  last  year  127  persons  were  lynched  in  the 
United  States.  Of  this  number,  118  were  exe 
cuted  in  the  South  and  9  in  the  North  and  West. 
Of  the  total  number  lynched,  102  were  Negroes, 
23  were  whites  and  2,  Indians.  Now,  let  every 
one  interested  in  the  South,  his  country  and  the 
cause  of  humanity,  note  this  fact — that  only  24  of 
the  entire  number  were  charged  in  any  way  with 
the  crime  of  rape;  that  is,  24  out  of  127  cases  of 
lynching.  Sixty-one  of  the  remaining  cases  were 
for  murder,  13  being  for  suspected  murder,  6  for 
theft,  etc.  During  one  week  last  spring,  when  I 
kept  a  careful  record,  13  Negroes  were  lynched 
in  three  of  our  Southern  States  and  not  one  was 
even  charged  with  rape.  All  of  these  13  were 
accused  of  murder  or  house-burning,  but  in 
neither  case  were  the  men  allowed  to  go  before 
a  court  so  that  their  innocence  or  guilt  might  be 
proven. 

"  When  we  get  to  the  point  where  four-fifths  of 
the  people  lynched  in  our  country  in  one  year  are 
for  some  crime  other  than  rape,  we  can  no  longer 
plead  and  explain  that  we  lynch  for  one  crime 
alone. 

"Let  us  take  another  year,  that  of  1892,  for 
example.  During  this  year  (1892)  241  persons 
were  lynched  in  the  whole  United  States,  36  of 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  339 

this  number  were  lynched  in  Northern  and 
Western  States,  and  205  in  our  Southern  States. 
Of  the  241  lynched  in  the  whole  country,  160 
were  Negroes  and  five  of  these  were  women.  The 
facts  show  that  out  of  the  241  lynched  in  the 
entire  country  in  1892,  but  57  were  even  charged 
with  rape,  even  attempted  rape,  leaving  in  that 
year  alone  184  persons  who  were  lynched  for 
other  causes  than  that  of  rape. 

"  If  it  were  necessary,  I  could  produce  figures 
for  other  years.  Within  a  period  of  six  years 
about  900  persons  have  been  lynched  in  our 
Southern  States.  This  is  but  a  few  hundred  short 
of  the  total  number  of  soldiers  who  lost  their 
lives  in  Cuba  during  the  Spanish- American  war. 
If  we  could  realize  still  more  fully  how  far  this 
unfortunate  habit  is  leading  us  on,  note  the 
classes  of  crime,  during  a  few  months,  which  the 
local  papers  and  Associated  Press  say  that  lynch 
ing  has  been  inflicted  for — they  include  *  murder,' 
'rioting,'  'incendiarism,'  'robbery,'  'larceny,'  'self- 
defense,'  'insulting  women,'  '  alleged  stock  poison 
ing,'  'malpractice,'  'alleged  barn-burning,'  'sus 
pected  robbery,'  'race  prejudice,'  'attempted  mur 
der,'  'horse  stealing,'  and  'mistaken  identity,'  etc. 

"  The  practice  has  grown  until  we  are  now  at 
the  point  where  not  only  blacks  are  lynched  in 
the  South,  but  white  men  as  well.  Not  only  this 
but  within  the  last  six  years,  at  least  a  half  dozen 


340  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

colored  women  have  been  lynched.  And  there 
are  a  few  cases  where  Negroes  have  lynched 
members  of  their  own  race.  What  is  to  be  the 
end  of  this?  Besides  this,  every  lynching  drives 
hundreds  of  Negroes  from  the  farming  districts  of 
the  South,  where  their  services  are  of  great  value 
to  the  country,  into  the  already  over-crowded 
cities. 

"  I  know  that  some  will  argue  that  the  crime 
of  lynching  Negroes  is  not  confined  to  the  South. 
This  is  true,  and  no  one  can  excuse  such  a  crime 
as  the  shooting  of  innocent  black  men  in  Illinois, 
who  were  guilty  of  no  crime  except  that  of  seek 
ing  labor,  but  my  words  just  now  are  to  the 
South,  where  my  home  is  and  a  part  of  which  I 
am.  Let  other  sections  act  as  they  will;  I  want 
to  see  our  beautiful  Southland  free  from  this  ter 
rible  evil  of  lynching.  Lynching  does  not  stop 
crime.  In  the  immediate  section  of  the  South 
where  a  colored  man  recently  committed  the 
most  terrible  crime  ever  charged  against  a  mem 
ber  of  his  race,  but  a  few  weeks  previous  to  this, 
five  colored  men  had  been  lynched  for  supposed 
incendiarism.  If  lynching  was  a  cure  for  crime, 
surely  the  lynching  of  five  would  have  pre 
vented  another  Negro  from  committing  a  most 
heinous  crime  a  few  weeks  later. 

"  We  might  as  well  face  the  facts  bravely  and 
wisely.  Since  the  beginning  of  the  world  crime 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  341 

has  been  committed  in  all  civilized  and  uncivilized 
countries,  and  a  certain  amount  of  crime  will 
always  be  committed,  both  in  the  North  and  in 
the  South,  but  I  believe  that  the  crime  of  rape  can 
be  stopped.  In  proportion  to  the  numbers  and 
intelligence  of  the  population  of  the  South,  there 
exists  little  more  crime  than  in  several  other 
sections  of  the  country,  but  because  of  the  lynch 
ing  habit  we  are  constantly  advertising  ourselves 
to  the  world  as  a  lawless  people.  We  cannot 
disregard  the  teachings  of  the  civilized  world  for 
eighteen  hundred  years,  that  the  only  way  to 
punish  crime  is  by  law.  When  we  leave  this 
dictum  chaos  begins. 

"I  am  not  pleading  for  the  Negro  alone. 
Lynching  injures,  hardens  and  blunts  the  moral 
sensibilities  of  the  young  and  tender  manhood  of 
the  South.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  remark  by 
a  little  nine-year-old  white  boy,  with  blue  eyes 
and  flaxen  hair.  The  little  fellow  said  to  his 
mother  after  he  had  returned  from  a  lynching: 
'  I  have  seen  a  man  hanged ;  now  I  wish  I  could 
see  one  burned.'  Rather  than  hear  such  a  remark 
from  one  of  my  little  boys,  I  would  prefer  seeing 
him  laid  in  his  grave.  This  is  not  all;  every  com 
munity  guilty  of  lynching,  says  in  so  many  words 
to  the  governor,  to  the  legislature,  to  the 
sheriff,  to  the  jury,  and  to  the  judge,  I  have  no 
faith  in  you  and  no  respect  for  you.  We  have 


342  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

no  respect  for  the  law  which  we  helped  to 
make. 

"In  the  South,  at  the  present  time,  there  is  less 
excuse  for  not  permitting  the  law  to  take  its 
course,  where  a  Negro  is  to  be  tried,  than  any 
where  else  in  the  world,  for  almost  without  ex 
ception  the  governors,  the  sheriffs,  the  judges, 
the  juries  and  the  lawyers  are  all  white  men,  and 
they  can  be  trusted,  as  a  rule,  to  do  their  duty; 
otherwise  it  is  needless  to  tax  the  people  to  sup 
port  these  officers.  If  our  present  laws  are  not 
sufficient  to  properly  punish  crime,  let  the  laws 
be  changed,  but  that  the  punishment  may  be  by 
lawfully  constituted  authority  is  the  plea  I  make. 
The  history  of  the  world  proves  that  where  lav/ 
is  most  strictly  enforced  is  the  least  crime;  where 
people  take  the  administration  of  the  law  into 
their  own  hands  is  the  most  crime. 

"But  there  is  another  side.  The  white  man  in 
the  South  has  not  only  a  serious  duty  and  respon 
sibility,  but  the  Negro  has  a  duty  and  responsi 
bility  in  this  matter.  In  speaking  of  my  own 
people  I  want  to  be  equally  frank,  but  I  speak 
with  the  greatest  kindness.  There  is  too  much 
crime  among  us.  The  figures  for  a  given  period 
show  that  in  the  United  States  30  per  cent,  of  the 
crime  committed  is  by  Negroes,  while  we  con 
stitute  only  about  1 2  per  cent,  of  the  entire  popu 
lation.  This  proportion  holds  good,  not  only  in 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  343 

the  South,  but  also  in  the  Northern  States  and 
cities. 

"No  race  that  is  so  largely  ignorant  and  so 
lately  out  of  slavery  could,  perhaps,  show  a  better 
record,  but  we  must  face  these  plain  facts.  He 
is  most  kind  to  the  Negro  who  tells  him  of  his 
faults  as  well  as  of  his  virtues.  A  large  amount 
of  the  crime  among  us  grows  out  of  the  idleness 
of  our  young  men  and  women.  It  is  for  this  rea 
son  that  I  have  tried  to  insist  upon  some  industry 
being  taught  in  connection  with  their  course  of 
literary  training.  The  time  has  come  when  every 
parent,  every  teacher  and  minister  of  the  gospel, 
should  teach  with  unusual  emphasis  morality  and 
obedience  to  the  law.  At  the  fireside,  in  the 
school  room,  in  the  Sunday-school,  from  the  pul 
pit  and  the  Negro  press,  there  should  be  such  a 
sentiment  created  regarding  the  committing  of 
crime  against  women,  that  no  such  crime  shall  be 
charged  against  any  member  of  the  race.  Let  it 
be  understood  for  all  time  that  no  one  guilty  of 
rape  can  find  sympathy  or  shelter  with  us,  and 
that  none  will  be  more  active  in  bringing  to  jus 
tice,  through  the  proper  authorities,  those  guilty 
of  crime.  Let  the  criminal  and  vicious  element 
of  the  race  have  at  all  times  our  most  severe  con 
demnation.  Let  a  strict  line  be  drawn  between 
the  virtuous  and  the  criminal.  I  condemn  with 
all  the  indignation  of  my  soul  the  beast  in  human 


34$  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

form  guilty  of  assaulting  a  woman.  Let  us  all 
be  alike  in  this  particular. 

"We  should  not  as  a  race  become  discouraged. 
We  are  making  progress.  No  race  has  ever 
gotten  upon  its  feet  without  discouragements  and 
struggles. 

"I  should  be  a  great  hypocrite  and  a  coward  if 
I  did  not  add  that  which  my  daily  experience 
teaches  me  is  true,  viz.:  that  the  Negro  has 
among  many  of  the  Southern  whites  as  good 
friends  as  he  has  anywhere  in  the  world.  These 
friends  have  not  forsaken  us.  They  will  not  do 
so;  neither  will  our  friends  in  the  North.  If  we 
make  ourselves  intelligent,  industrious,  economical 
and  virtuous,  of  value  to  the  community  in  which 
we  live,  we  can  and  will  work  out  our  own  salva 
tion  right  here  in  the  South.  In  every  community, 
by  means  of  organized  effort,  we  should  seek  in 
a  manly  and  honorable  way  the  confidence,  the 
co-operation,  the  sympathy  of  the  best  white  peo 
ple  in  the  South  and  in  our  respective  communi 
ties.  With  the  best  white  people  and  the  best 
black  people  standing  together,  in  favor  of  law 
and  order  and  justice,  I  believe  that  the  safety 
and  happiness  of  both  races  will  be  made  secure." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE    WEST    VIRGINIA    AND     OTHER     RECEPTIONS 
AFTER  EUROPEAN  TRIP. 

Early  in  August  we  sailed  for  America  from 
Southampton,  and  had  a  very  pleasant  voyage  on 
the  magnificent  ocean  Steamer  "St.  Louis."  On 
the  voyage  I  was  called  upon  to  speak  again  to 
the  passengers,  and  made  many  friends  for  our 
cause. 

While  in  Europe  I  received  the  following  invi 
tation  : 

"CHARLESTON,  W.  VA.,  May  16,  1899. 
"PROF.  B.  T.  WASHINGTON, 

"Tuskegee  Institute,  Tuskegee,  Alabama. 

"Dear  Sir: — Many  of  the  best  citizens  of 
West  Virginia  have  united  in  liberal  expressions 
of  admiration  and  praise  of  your  worth  and  work, 
and  desire  that  on  your  return  from  Europe,  you 
should  favor  them  with  your  presence  and  with 
the  inspiration  of  your  words.  We  most  sin 
cerely  endorse  this  move  and  on  behalf  of  the 
citizens  of  Charleston  extend  to  you  our  most 
cordial  invitation  to  have  you  come  to  us,  that 

345 


346 


THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  347 

we  may  honor  you  who  have  done  so  much  by 
your  life  and  work  to  honor  us. 

"We  are,  very  truly  yours, 

uThe  Common  Council  of  the  City  of  Charleston, 
"By  W.  HERMAN  SMITH,  Mayor." 

This  invitation  from  the  City  Council  of 
Charleston  was  accompanied  by  the  following : 

"PROF.  B.  T.  WASHINGTON, 

"Principal,  Tuskegee  Institute. 

"Dear  Sir: — We  the  citizens  of  Charleston 
and  West  Virginia,  desire  to  express  our  pride 
in  you  and  the  splendid  career  you  have  thus  far 
accomplished,  and  ask  that  we  be  permitted  to 
show  our  pride  and  interest  in  a  substantial  way. 

"Your  recent  visit  to  your  old  home  in  our 
midst  awoke  within  us  the  keenest  regret  that 
we  were  not  permitted  to  hear  you  and  render 
some  substantial  aid  to  your  work,  before  you 
left  for  Europe. 

"In  view  of  the  foregoing,  we  earnestly  invite 
you  to  share  the  hospitality  of  our  city  upon 
your  return  from  Europe  and  give  us  the  oppor 
tunity  to  hear  you  and  put  ourselves  in  touch 
with  your  work  in  a  way  that  will  be  most  grati 
fying  to  yourself,  and  that  we  may  receive  the 
inspiration  of  your  words  and  presence. 

"An  early   reply    to   this   invitation,   with   an 


348  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

indication  of  the  time  you  may  reach  our   city 
will  greatly  oblige, 

"Yours  very  respectfully, 

"The  Charleston  Daily  Gazette,  The  Daily 
Mail-Tribune,  G.  W.  Atkinson,  Governor;  E.  L. 
Boggs,  Secretary  to  Governor;  Wm.  M.  O. 
Dawson,  Secretary  of  State;  L.  M.  LaFollette, 
Auditor;  J.  R.  Trotter,  Superintendent  of  Schools; 
E.  W.  Wilson,  ex-Governor;  W.  A.  Mac- 
Corkle,  ex-Governor;  John  Q.  Dickinson,  Presi 
dent  Kanakah  Valley  Bank;  L.  Prichard,  Presi 
dent  Charleston  National  Bank;  Geo.  S.  Couch, 
President  Kanakah  National  Bank;  Ed.  Reid, 
Cashier  Kanakah  National  Bank;  Geo.  S.  Laid- 
ley,  Superintendent  City  Schools;  L.  E.  Me- 
Whorter,  President  Board  of  Education;  Chas. 
K.  Payne,  wholesale  merchant;  C.  C.  Lewis,  Jr., 
wholesale  merchant;  R.  G.  Hubbard,  wholesale 
merchant;  Dan.  D.  Brawley,  City  Sergeant; 
Grant  P.  Hall,  Clerk  of  Circuit  Court;  O.  A. 
Petty,  Postmaster;  R.  Douglas  Roller,  Rector 
St.  John's  Episcopal  Church;  M.  M.  Williamson, 
Cashier  Citizen's  National  Bank;  J.  N.  Carnes, 
Assistant  Cashier  Citizen's  National  Bank;  J.  A. 
Schwabe  &  Co.,  merchants;  J.  A.  DeGruyter, 
ex-Mayor;  A.  H.  Boyd,  M.  D.;  E.  W.  Staunton, 
Clerk  Kanakah  County  Court;  M.  F.  Compton, 
Pastor  State  St.  M.  E.  Church;  T.  C.  Johnson, 
Pastor  Charleston  Baptist  Church;  Coyle  & 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  349 

Richardson,  merchants;  J.  H.  Gaines,  United 
States  District  Attorney;  Sterrett  Brothers,  mer 
chants;  N.  S.  Burlew,  merchant;  Joel  H.  Ruffner, 
merchant;  M.  P.  Ruffner,  merchant;  E.  G.  Pier- 
son,  senator;  B.  R.  Winkler,  member  City 
Council;  Flournoy,  Price  &  Smith,  lawyers; 
Abney,  Barnes  &  Co.,  wholesale  merchants;  Sam 
D.  Littlepage,  member  of  City  Council;  D.  W. 
Shaw,  Pastor  Simpson  M.  E.  Church;  J.  McHenry 
Jones,  President  West  Virginia  Colored  Institute; 
Jas.  M.  Canty,  J.  C.  Gilmer,  Byrd  Prillerman,  S. 
W.  Starks,  J.  M.  Hazelwood,  Phil.  Waters,  C. 
W.  Hall,  Judge  Criminal  Court;  C.  W.  Boyd, 
Principal  Garnet  School;  B.  S.  Morgan,  member 
of  City  Council." 

This  invitation  to  accept  a  reception  from  the 
citizens  of  Charleston,  W.  Va.,  where  I  had  spent 
my  boyhood  days,  was  a  very  satisfactory  sur 
prise.  When  I  left  Charleston/ and  when  I  left 
Maiden,  which  is  very  near  Charleston,  I  was 
quite  a  boy  and  had  not  been  able  to  spend  any 
great  length  of  time  there  since  I  had  first  left  to 
enter  the  Hampton  Institute. 

I  accepted  the  invitation  for  the  Charleston 
reception,  and  when  I  reached  Charleston  was 
met  by  a  committee  of  citizens  headed  by  ex-Gov. 
W.  A.  MacCorkle.  The  meeting  in  connection 
with  this  reception  was  held  in  the  opera  house, 
and  was  presided  over  by  Gov.  George  W. 


360  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

Atkinson,  It  was  very  largely  attended  by  white 
and  colored  citizens  from  that  vicinity,  a  large 
number  of  whom  had  known  me  in  my  boyhood 
days.  I  must  refrain  from  giving  any  detailed 
account  of  all  the  kind  and  complimentary 
things  they  were  kind  enough  to  say  about 
me  at  this  meeting.  I  spent  several  days  in 
.Charleston, -visiting  the  scenes  of  my  early  boy 
hood,  and  my  sister  in  Maiden,  and  many  of  the 
older  citizens  who  remembered  me. 

After  this  reception  in  Charleston  I  was  invited 
to  go  to  Atlanta,  Ga.,  by  the  white  and  colored 
citizens,  to  receive  a  reception  there.  The  meet 
ing  in  Atlanta  was  presided  over  also  by  the 
Governor  of  the  State,  and  was  largely  attended. 

Receptions  by  the  citizens  of  Montgomery  and 
New  Orleans  soon  followed.  Invitations  to 
accept  receptions  in  other  states  came  to  me,  but 
I  was  not  able  to  attend  them  all. 

In  the  fall  of  1899  a  meeting  was  held  at  Hunts- 
ville,  Ala.,  the  spirit  of  which  has  since  been  taken 
up  by  other  Southern  cities,  which  promises  to 
prove  of  lasting  benefit  in  settling  the  race  prob 
lem  in  the  South.  In  October  a  meeting  was 
called  at  Huntsville,  which  had  for  its  object  the 
discussion  of  all  matters  relating  to  the  upbuilding 
of  the  South.  It  was  well  attended  by  represent 
atives  from  nearly  every  Southern  State,  and 
was  a  strong  body  of  men.  Among  the  other 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  351 

subjects  discussed  was  the  Negro  problem  in  its 
relation  to  the  industrial  progress  of  the  South. 

In  connection  with  others,  I  was  invited  to  de 
liver  an  address.  The  audience  was  composed 
mainly  of  Southern  white  men,  but  in  it  was  a 
large  number  of  Southern  white  women,  together 
with  quite  an  attendance  of  colored  men  and 
women.  The  address  which  I  delivered  on  that 
occasion  attracted  a  great  deal  of  attention 
throughout  the  country,  and  for  that  reason  I  have 
taken  the  liberty  of  giving  it  in  full: 

uln  all  discussion  and  legislation  bearing  upon 
the  presence  of  the  Negro  in  America,  it  should 
be  borne  in  mind  that  we  are  dealing  with  a  peo 
ple  who  were  forced  to  come  here  without  their 
consent  and  in  the  face  of  a  most  earnest  protest. 
This  gives  the  Negro  a  claim  upon  your  sympa 
thy  and  generosity  that  no  other  race  can  possess. 
Besides,  though  forced  from  his  native  land  into 
residence  in  a  country  that  was  not  of  his  choos 
ing,  he  has  earned  his  right  to  the  title  of  Ameri 
can  citizen  by  obedience  to  the  law,  by  patriotism 
and  fidelity,  and  by  the  millions  which  his  brawny 
arms  and  willing  hands  have  added  to  the  wealth 
of  this  country. 

"In  saying  what  I  have  to-day,  although  a 
Negro  and  an  ex-slave  myself,  there  is  no  white 
man  whose  heart  is  more  wrapped  up  in  every 
interest  of  the  South  and  loves  it  more  dearly 


352  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

than  is  true  of  myself.  She  can  have  no  sorrow 
that  I  do  not  share;  she  can  have  no  prosperity 
that  I  do  not  rejoice  in.  She  can  commit  no 
error  that  I  do  not  deplore.  She  can  take  no 
step  forward  that  I  do  not  approve. 

"Different  in  race,  in  color,  in  history,  we  can 
teach  the  world  that,  although  thus  differing,  it  is 
possible  for  us  to  dwell  side  by  side  in  love,  in 
peace,  and  in  material  prosperity.  We  can  be 
one,  as  I  believe  we  will  be  in  a  larger  degree  in 
the  future,  in  sympathy,  purpose,  forbearance  and 
mutual  helpfulness.  Let  him  who  would  embit 
ter,  who  would  bring  strife  between  your  race 
and  mine  be  accursed  in  his  basket  and  in  his 
store,  accursed  in  the  fruit  of  his  body  and  the 
fruit  of  his  land.  No  man  can  plan  the  degrada 
tion  of  another  race  without  being  himself  de 
graded.  The  highest  test  of  the  civilization  of 
any  race  is  its  willingness  to  extend  a  helping 
hand  to  the  less  fortunate. 

"  The  South  extends  a  protecting  arm  and  a 
welcome  voice  to  the  foreigner,  all  nationalities, 
languages  and  conditions,  but  in  this  I  pray  that 
you  will  not  forget  the  black  man  at  your  door, 
whose  habits  you  know,  whose  fidelity  you  have 
tested.  You  may  make  of  others  larger  gatherers 
of  wealth,  but  you  cannot  make  of  them  more 
law-abiding,  useful  and  God-fearing  people  than 
the  Negro  who  has  been  by  your  side  for  three 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  353 

centuries,  and  whose  toil  in  forest,  field  and  mine 
has  helped  to  make  the  South  the  land  of  promise 
and  glorious  possibility. 

"Before  we  can  make  much  progress  we  must 
decide  whether  or  not  the  Negro  is  to  be  a  per 
manent  part  of  the  South.  With  the  light  that 
is  before  us*,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  declaring  that 
the  great  bulk  of  the  Negro  population  will  reside 
among  you.  Any  hesitation  or  doubting  as  to 
the  permanent  residence  of  the  race  will  work  in 
finite  harm  to  the  industrial  and  economic  inter 
ests  of  both  races.  Here,  in  His  wisdom,  Provi 
dence  has  placed  the  Negro.  Here  he  will  remain. 
Here  he  came  without  a  language;  here  he  found 
the  Anglo-Saxon  tongue.  Here  he  came  in  pagan 
ism;  here  he  found  the  religion  of  Christ.  Here 
he  came  in  barbarism;  here  he  found  civilization. 
Here  he  came  with  untrained  hands;  here  he 
found  industry.  If  these  centuries  of  contact  with 
the  American  has  done  this,  can  you  not  trust  to 
the  wise  Creator,  aided  by  the  efforts  of  the  Negro 
himself,  and  your  guidance,  to  do  the  remainder? 
At  this  point,  are  you  willing  to  cease  your  efforts 
and  turn  the  work  over  to  others  for  completion  ? 
Your  duty  to  the  Negro  will  not  be  fulfilled  until 
you  have  made  of  him  the  highest  type  of  Ameri 
can  citizen,  in  intelligence,  usefulness  and  morality. 

u  The  South  has  within  itself  the  forces  that  are 

to  solve  this  tremendous  problem.     You  have  the 
21 


354         THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

climate,  the  soil  and  the  material  wealth.  You 
have  the  labor  to  be  performed  that  will  occupy 
many  times  our  present  Negro  population. 
While  the  calls  come  daily  from  South  Africa, 
from  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  from  the  North  and 
the  West  for  the  strong  and  willing  arm  of  the 
Negro  in  the  field  of  industry,  you,  at  your  very 
door,  have  that  which  others  are  energetically 
seeking.  Not  only  are  you  in  possession  of  that 
which  others  are  seeking,  but  more  important 
than  all,  custom  and  contact  have  so  knit  the  two 
races  together  that  the  black  man  finds  in  these 
Southern  States  an  open  sesame  in  labor,  industry 
and  business  that  is  not  surpassed  anywhere.  It 
is  here  alone,  by  reason  of  the  presence  of  the 
Negro,  that  capital  is  free  from  tyranny  and  des 
potism  that  prevents  you  from  employing  whom 
you  please  and  for  that  wage  that  is  mutually 
agreeable  and  profitable.  It  is  here  that  form  of 
slavery  which  prevents  a  man  from  selling  his 
labor  to  whom  he  pleases  on  account  of  his  color 
is  almost  unknown.  We  have  had  slavery,  now 
dead,  that  forced  an  individual  to  labor  without 
a  recompense,  but  none  that  compelled  a  man  to 
remain  in  idleness  while  his  family  starved. 

"  The  Negro  in  all  parts  of  the  country  is  be 
ginning  to  appreciate  the  advantage  which  the 
South  affords  for  earning  a  living,  for  commercial 
development,  and  in  proportion  as  this  is  true,  it 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  355 

will  constitute  the  basis  for  the  settlement  of  other 
difficulties.  The  colored  man  is  beginning  to 
learn  that  the  bed  rock  upon  which  every  indi 
vidual  rests  his  chances  for  success  in  life  is  secur 
ing  in  every  manly  way — never  at  the  sacrifice 
of  principle — the  friendship,  the  confidence,  the 
respect  of  his  next-door  neighbor  in  the  little 
community  in  which  he  lives.  Almost  the  whole 
problem  of  the  Negro  in  the  South  rests  itself 
upon  the  question  as  to  whether  he  makes  him 
self  of  such  indispensable  service  to  his  neighbor, 
to  the  community,  that  no  one  can  fill  his  place 
better  in  the  body  politic.  There  is  no  other  safe 
course  for  the  Negro  to  pursue.  If  the  black 
man  in  the  South  has  a  friend  in  his  white  neigh 
bor,  and  a  still  larger  number  of  friends  in  his 
own  community,  he  has  a  protection  and  a  guar 
antee  of  his  rights  that  will  be  more  potent  and 
more  lasting  than  any  Federal  Congress  or 
any  outside  power  can  confer.  While  the 
Negro  is  grateful  for  the  opportunities  which 
he  enjoys  in  the  business  of  the  South,  you  should 
remember  that  you  are  in  debt  to  the  black  man 
for  furnishing  you  with  labor  that  is  almost  a 
stranger  to  strikes,  lock-outs  and  labor  wars; 
labor  that  is  law-abiding,  peaceful,  teachable; 
labor  that  is  one  with  you  in  language,  sympathy, 
religion  and  patriotism;  labor  that  has  never  been 
tempted  to  follow  the  red  flag  of  anarchy,  but 


356  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

always  the  safe  flag  of  his  country  and  the  spot 
less  banner  of  the  cross. 

"But  if  the  South  is  to  go  forward  and  not 
stand  still,  if  she  is  to  reach  the  highest  reward 
from  her  wonderful  resources  and  keep  abreast 
of  the  progress  of  the  world,  she  must  reach  that 
point,  without  needless  delay,  where  she  will  not 
be  continually  advertising  to  the  world  that  she 
has  a  race  question  to  settle.  We  must  reach 
that  point  where,  at  every  election,  from  the 
choice  of  a  magistrate  to  that  of  a  governor,  the 
decision  will  not  hinge  upon  a  discussion  or  a 
revival  of  the  race  question.  We  must  arrive  at 
that  period  where  the  great  fundamental  question 
of  good  roads,  education  of  farmers,  agricultural 
and  mineral  development,  manufacturing  and 
industrial  and  public  school  education  will  be,  in 
a  large  degree,  the  absorbing  topics  in  our  political 
campaign.  But  that  we  may  get  this  question 
from  among  us,  the  white  man  has  a  duty  to  per 
form,  the  black  man  has  a  duty.  Na  question  is 
ever  permanently  settled  until  it  is  settled  in  the 
principles  of  the  highest  justice.  Capital  and  law 
lessness  will  not  dwell  together.  The  white  man 
who  learns  to  disregard  law  when  a  Negro  is 
concerned  will  soon  disregard  it  when  a  white 
man  is  concerned. 

"  In  the  evolution  of  the  South  it  seems  to  me 
that  we  have  reached  that  period  where  private 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  357 

philanthropy  and  the  Christian  church  of  the 
white  South  should,  in  a  large  degree,  share 
directly  in  the  elevation  of  the  Negro.  In  saying 
this  I  am  not  unmindful  of  or  ungrateful  for  what 
has  already  been  done  by  individuals  and  through 
public  schools.  When  we  consider  the  past,  the 
wonder  is  that  so  much  has  been  done  by  our 
brothers  in  white.  All  great  reforms  and  improve 
ments  rest,  in  a  large  measure,  upon  the  church  for 
success.  You  acknowledge  that  Christianity  and 
education  make  a  man  more  valuable  as  a  citi 
zen,  make  him  more  industrious,  make  him  earn 
more,  make  him  more  upright.  In  this  respect 
let  me  see  how  the  three  largest  white  denomina 
tions  in  the  South  regard  the  Negro. 

"To  elevate  the  ignorant  and  degraded  in 
Africa,  China,  Japan,  India,  etc.,  these  three 
denominations  in  the  South  give  annually  about 
$544,000,  but  to  elevate  the  ignorant,  the 
degraded  at  your  doors,  to  protect  your  families, 
to  lessen  your  taxes,  to  increase  their  earning 
power;  in  a  word,  to  Christianize  and  elevate  the 
people  at  your  very  side,  upon  whom,  in  a  large 
measure,  your  safety  and  property  depend,  these 
same  denominations  give  $21,000 — $21,000  for 
the  benighted  at  your  doors,  $544,000  for  the 
benighted  abroad.  That  thirty-five  years  after 
slavery  and  a  fratricidal  war  the  master  should 
give  even  $21,000  through  the  medium  of  the 


358  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

church  for  the  elevation  of  his  former  slave  means 
much.  Nor  would  I  have  one  dollar  less  go  to 
the  foreign  fields,  but  I  would  plead  with  all  the 
earnestness  of  my  soul  that  the  Christian  South 
give  increased  attention  to  the  8,000,000  of 
Negroes  by  whom  it  is  surrounded.  All  this  has 
a  most  vital  and  direct  relation  to  the  work  of  this 
Industrial  convention.  Every  dollar  that  goes 
into  the  education  of  the  Negro  is  an  interest- 
bearing  dollar. 

"  For  years  all  acknowlege  that  the  South  has 
suffered  from  the  low  price  of  cotton  because  of 
over-production.  The  economic  history  of  the 
world  teaches  that  an  ignorant  farming  class 
means  a  single  crop,  and  that  a  single  crop  means, 
too  often,  low  prices  from  over-production  or 
famine  from  under-production.  The  Negro  con 
stitutes  the  principal  farming  class  of  the  South. 
So  long  as  the  Negro  is  ignorant  in  head, 
unskilled  in  hand,  unacquainted  with  labor-saving 
machinery,  so  long  will  he  confine  himself  to 
a  single  crop,  and  over-production  of  cotton  will 
result.  So  long  as  this  is  true,  you  will  be  bound 
in  economic  fetters;  you  will  be  hugging  the 
bear,  while  crying  for  some  one  to  help  you  let 
go.  Every  man,  black  and  white,  in  the  South, 
with  his  crop  mortgaged,  in  debt  at  the  end  of 
the  year,  buying  his  meat  from  Iowa,  his  corn 
from  Illinois,  his  shoes  from  New  York,  his 


BOOKER  T.WASHINGTON.  359 

clothing  from  Pennsylvania,  his  wagon  from 
Indiana,  his  plow  from  Massachusetts,  his  mule 
from  Missouri,  and  his  coffin  from  Ohio,  every 
one  who  is  thus  situated,  is  a  citizen  who  is  not 
producing  the  highest  results  for  his  state.  It  is 
argued  that  the  South  is  too  poor  to  educate 
such  an  individual  so  as  to  make  him  an  intelli 
gent  producer.  I  reply  that  the  South  is  too 
poor  not  to  educate  such  an  individual. 

"Ignorance  is  many  fold  more  costly  to  tax 
payers  than  intelligence.  Every  black  youth 
that  is  given  this  training  of  hand  and  strength  of 
mind,  so  that  he  is  able  to  grasp  the  full  meaning 
and  responsibility  of  life,  so  that  he  can  go  into 
some  forest  and  turn  the  raw  material  into 
wagons  and  buggies,  becomes  a  citizen  who  is 
able  to  add  to  the  wealth  of  the  state  and  to  bear 
his  share  of  the  expenses  of  educational  govern 
ment.  Do  you  suggest  that  this  cannot  be  done? 
I  answer  that  it  is  being  done  every  day  at  Tus- 
kegee,  and  should  be  duplicated  in  a  hundred 
places  in  every  Southern  state.  This  I  take  to 
be  the  white  man's  burden  just  now — no,  no,  not 
his  burden,  but  his  privilege,  his  opportunity,  to 
give  the  black  man  sight,  to  give  him  strength, 
skill  of  hand,  light  of  mind  and  honesty  of  heart. 
Do  this,  my  white  friends,  and  I  will  paint  you 
a  picture  that  shall  represent  the  future,  partly  as 
the  outcome  of  this  Industrial  Convention,  and 


360  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

will  represent  the  land  where  your  race  and  mine 
dwell : 

"Fourteen  slaves  brought  into  the  South  a  few 
centuries  ago,  in  ignorance,  superstition  and 
weakness,  are  now  a  free  people,  multiplied  into 
8,000,000.  They  are  surrounded,  protected, 
encouraged,  educated  in  hand,  heart  and  head, 
given  the  full  protection  of  the  law,  the  highest 
justice  meted  out  to  them  through  courts  and 
legislative  enactment,  they  are  stimulated  and  not 
oppressed,  made  citizens,  and  not  aliens,  made  to 
understand  by  word  and  act  that  in  proportion  as 
they  show  themselves  worthy  to  bear  responsi 
bilities,  the  greater  opportunities  will  be  given 
them.  I  see  them  loving  you,  trusting  you, 
adding  to  the  wealth,  the  intelligence,  the  renown 
of  each  Southern  commonwealth.  In  turn,  I  see 
you  confiding  in  them,  ennobling  them,  beckoning 
them  on  to  the  highest  success,  and  we  have  all 
been  made  to  appreciate  in  full  that, 

'The  slave's  chain  and  the  master's  alike  are  broken, 
The  one  curse  of  the  race  held  both  in  tether; 

They  are  rising,  all  are  rising, 

The  black  and  white  together.' " 

The  most  encouraging  thing  that  happened  in 
connection  with  this  convention  was  an  address 
delivered  by  ex-Governor  MacCorkle,  of  West 
Virginia,  in  which  he  took  the  position  that  the 
time  had  come  when  the  Southern  States  must  face 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  361 

the  race  problem  bravely  and  honestly;  that  the 
South  could  not  any  longer  afford  to  get  rid  of  the 
Negro's  ballot  by  questionable  methods,  and  that 
the  Southern  States  ought  to  pass  a  law  which 
would  require  an  educational  or  property  test,  or 
both,  for  voting,  and  that  this  law  ought  to  be 
made  to  apply  alike  to  both  races  honestly  and 
fairly,  and  that  there  should  be  no  evasion  per 
mitted  or  attempted. 

Governor  Mac Corkle  is  a  Southern  man,  a  demo 
crat,  and  the  words  which  he  spoke  on  this 
occasion  received  the  most  hearty  cheering,  and 
the  convention  on  the  next  day  passed  a  resolu 
tion  without  a  dissenting  vote  recommending  Gov 
ernor  MacCorkle's  suggestion  in  the  settlement 
of  the  franchise  question  in  the  Southern  States. 
The  influence  of  this  convention  was  most  bene 
ficial  on  the  minds  of  the  Southern  white  people, 
and  gave  encouragement  to  the  Negro  and  to  his 
friends  throughout  the  country. 

As  I  write  this  chapter  a  conference  is  being 
arranged  for  by  the  leading  white  citizens  of 
Montgomery,  Ala.,  which  is  to  take  place  there 
during  the  month  of  May  of  each  year.  The 
object  of  this  conference  is  to  afford  an  opportu 
nity  for  free  and  generous  discussion  of  the  race 
problem  from  every  point  of  view.  This  move 
ment,  organized  as  it  has  been  at  the  seat  of  the 
Confederate  government,  is  most  remarkable.  It 


362  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

seems  fitting  that  Montgomery  should  be  the 
place  where  from  year  to  year  the  best  thought 
of  the  nation  can  assemble  and  assist  in  working 
out  our  national  problem. 

In  closing  this  chapter  I  simply  wish  to  add 
that  I  see  no  reason  why  the  race  should  not  feel 
encouraged.  Every  individual  or  race  that  has 
succeeded  has  done  so  only  by  paying  the  price 
which  success  demands.  We  cannot  expect  to 
get  something  for  nothing.  We  shall  continue 
to  prosper  in  proportion  as  each  individual  proves 
his  usefulness  in  the  community,  as  each  individ 
ual  makes  himself  such  a  pillar  in  property  and 
character  that  his  community  will  feel  that  he 
cannot  be  spared. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  MOVEMENT  FOR  A   PERMANENT  ENDOWMENT 

Having,  through  nearly  twenty  years  of  inces 
sant  toil,  succeeded  in  securing  for  Tuskegee  the 
annual  expenses  for  running  the  school  and  the 
money  with  which  to  purchase  its  present 
plant  and  equipment,  valued  at  about  $300,000, 
it  has  been  for  several  years  clearly  seen  by 
the  trustees  and  myself  that  the  thing  needed  to 
secure  Tuskegee  in  the  future  was  a  permanent 
endowment  fund.  Not  only  is  an  endowment 
fund  necessary  as  an  assurance  that  the  work  of 
Tuskegee  shall  go  on  in  the  future,  but  it  is  nec 
essary  in  order  to  relieve  the  Principal  of  the  hard 
work  of  remaining  in  the  North  the  greater  por 
tion  of  his  time  begging  and  speaking  in  order  to 
raise  the  amount  annually  necessary  to  carry  on 
the  work.  An  endowment  fund,  the  interest  from 
which  would  be  sufficient  to  meet,  partially,  the 
current  expenses  of  the  institution,  would  enable 
the  Principal  to  devote  his  time  to  the  executive 
work  of  the  school,  and  this  would  obviously  lead 
to  greater  perfection  in  the  work  there,  both  in  the 
academic  and  industrial  branches.  Improved 

methods  and  facilities  would  redound  to  the  ben- 

363 


364  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

efit  of  each  person  educated  at  the  institution. 
Various  appeals,  for  the  last  year  or  two,  have 
been  made  to  the  friends  of  Tuskegee  for  an  en 
dowment  fund,  and  within  the  past  year  we  have 
received  by  gifts  and  bequests  $38,848.93  for  this 
purpose.  The  United  States  Congress,  in  the 
winter  of  1899,  donated  to  Tuskegee  25,000  acres 
of  land  out  of  the  public  domain  of  Alabama,  the 
proceeds  of  this  grant  to  be  added  to  the  endow 
ment  fund. 

No  organized  effort,  however,  was  made  to  in 
terest  the  friends  of  Tuskegee  in  the  matter  of 
raising  a  permanent  endowment  until  the  fall  of 
1899.  It  was  then  thought  by  the  trustees  and 
myself  that  the  time  was  ripe  for  putting  forth 
specific  effort  in  this  direction.  Accordingly,  it 
was  decided  to  hold  a  public  meeting  in  Decem 
ber,  1899,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  at  which  the 
work  of  Tuskegee  might  be  set  forth  by  capable 
speakers,  and  the  good  the  school  was  accom 
plishing,  not  only  among  the  Negroes  of  the 
ublack  belt"  but  for  the  whole  country,  might  be 
brought  forcibly  to  the  ears  of  the  public.  This 
meeting  was  held  in  the  concert  hall  of  Madison 
Square  Garden,  in  the  City  of  New  York,  on  the 
evening  of  December  4,  1899.  I  take  pleasure  in 
giving  a  description  of  this  meeting  and  in  men 
tioning  some  of  its  immediate  results,  because  it 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  365 

proved  to  be  a  magnificent  tribute  to  the   cause 
for  which  Tuskegee  stands. 

Ex- President  Grover  Cleveland  had  very  kindly 
consented  to  be  present  and  to.  preside  at  this 
meeting.  The  beautiful  concert  hall,  which  holds 
about  2,000  people,  was  packed  that  night  so  that 
it  was  difficult  to  procure  even  standing  room. 
Many  prominent  people  occupied  seats  upon  the 
platform  and  in  the  boxes.  Among  the  former  I 
might  mention  Mr.  Morris  K.  Jesup,  Mr.  Wm.  E. 
Dodge,  Mr.  Alexander  Orr,  Mr.  Robert  C.  Ogden, 
Mr.  George  Foster  Peabody,  Rev.  Dr.  C.  H. 
Parkhurst,  Rev.  Dr.  D.  H.  Greer,  Mr.  Charles  E. 
Bigelow,  Mr.  Arthur  Curtiss  James,  Mr.  John  A. 
Stewart,  Mr.  A.  S.  Frissell,  Mr.  George  McAneny, 
Mr.  Horace  White,  Hon.  John  M.  Barrett,  Mr. 
Walter  H.  Page,  Hon.  Seth  Low,  Hon.  E.  M. 
Shepard,  Hon.  Levi  P.  Morton,  Dr.  N.  M.  Butler, 
Mr.  J.  G.  Phelps  Stokes,  Mr.  John  E.  Parsons, 
Hon.  Carl  Schurz,  Rev.  P.  B.  Tompkins,  Mr. 
Samuel  P.  Avery,  Mr.  R.  F.  Cutting,  Mr.  J.  S. 
Kennedy,  Mr.  C.  P.  Huntington,  Mr.  C.  S. 
Smith,  Mr.  R.  W.  Gilder,  Chancellor  H.  K. 
McCracken,  Mr.  William  G.  Low,  Mr.  W.  P. 
Ware,  Prof.  Chas.  Sprague  Smith,  Mr.  Wm.  Jay 
Schieffelin,  Mr.  Charles  Lanier,  Mr.  J.  Hampden 
Robb,  Mr.  Dorman  B.  Eaton,  Mr.  Horace  E. 
Deming,  Mr.  Joseph  Lorocque,  Mr.  J.  Kennedy 
Todd,  Mr.  LeGrand  B.  Cannon,  Mr.  Charles  S. 


366  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

Fairchild,  Mr.  August  Belmont,  Mr.  Jacob  H. 
Schiff ,  Mr.  Gustav  Schwab,  Mr.  James  C*.  Carter, 
Mr.  John  L.  Cadwallader,  Mr.  Cleveland  H. 
Dodge,  Rev.  Dr.  H.  Heber  Newton,  Mr.  Edward 
Hewitt,  Mr.  Hamilton  W.  Mabie,  Mr.  Wheeler 
H.  Peckham,  Mr.  Everett  P.  Wheeler,  Mr.  I. 
Fredk.  Kernochan,  Col.  Wm.  Jay,  Mr.  Chas.  C. 
Beaman,  Rev.  Dr.  Wm.  R.  Huntington,  Rey. 
Dr.  Morgan  Dix,  Rev.  Dr.  Lyman  Abbott,  Mr. 
Wm.  Dean  Howells,  Gen.  Wagner  Swayne,  Hon. 
W.  L.  Strong,  Mr.  Charles  H.  Marshall,  Mr. 
Henry  Holt,  Mr.  J.  Pierpont  Morgan.  Among 
those  who  occupied  boxes  were  Mr.  Robert  C. 
Ogden,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  E.  Dodge,  Mrs.  C.  R. 
Lowell,  Mr.  Henry  Villard,  Mr.  C.  D.  Smith, 
Miss  Putnam,  Mr.  George  Foster  Peabody,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  John  D.  Rockefeller,  Mrs.  Fredk.  Bill 
ings,  Miss  Olivia  Stokes,  Mrs.  C.  A.  Runkle, 
Miss  Matilda  W.  Bruce,  Miss  Mary  Parsons, 
Mr.  W.  H.  Baldwin,  Jr.,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morris  K. 
Jesup,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Theodore  K.  Gibbs,  Mrs. 
W.  H.  Harkness,  Mrs.  C.  B.  Hackley,  Miss 
Bryce,  Mrs.  F.  C.  Barlow,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  T. 
White,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  M.  Pratt,  Mr.  C.  E. 
Bigelow. 

The  day  before  the  meeting  was  to  be  held 
Mr.  Cleveland  found  himself  confined  to  his  house 
by  illness,  and  wrote  me  his  inability  to  be  present. 
The  letter  proved  to  be  almost,  if  not  quite,  as 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  367 

great  an  encouragement  to  the  object  of  the  meet 
ing  .as  Mr.  Cleveland's  presence  would  have  been. 
The  letter  was  read  at  the  meeting,  and  I  think 
the  reader  will  not  complain  if  I  quote  it  here:  It 
is  as  follows: 

PRINCETON,  N.  J.,  Dec.  3,  1899. 
u  MY  DEAR  MR.  WASHINGTON: 

"  My  inability  to  attend  the  meeting  to-morrow 
evening,  in  the  interest  of  Tuskegee  Institute,  is  a 
very  great  disappointment  to  me.  If  my  partici 
pation  could  have,  in  the  slightest  degree,  aided 
the  cause  you  represent,  or  in  the  least  encouraged 
you  in  your  noble  efforts,  I  would  have  felt  that 
my  highest  duty  was  in  close  company  with  my 
greatest  personal  gratification. 

u  It  has  frequently  occurred  to  me  that  in  the 
present  condition  of  our  free  Negro  population  in 
the  South,  and  the  incidents  often  surrounding 
them,  we  cannot  absolutely  calculate  that  the 
future  of  our  nation  will  always  be  free  from 
dangers  and  convulsions,  perhaps  not  less  lament 
able  than  those  which  resulted  from  the  enslaved 
Negros,  less  than  forty  years  ago.  Then  the  cause 
of  trouble  was  the  injustice  of  the  enslavement  of 
four  millions ;  but  now  we  have  to  deal  with  eight 
millions,  who,  though  free,  and  invested  with  all 
the  rights  of  citizenship,  still  constitute,  in  the 
body  politic,  a  mass  largely  affected  with  igno- 


368  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

ranee,  slothfulness  and  a  resulting  lack  of  appre 
ciation  of  the  obligations  of  that  citizenship. 

"  I  am  so  certain  that  these  conditions  cannot 
be  neglected,  and  so  convinced  that  the  mission 
marked  out  by  the  Tuskegee  Institute  presents 
the  best  hope  of  their  amelioration,  and  that  every 
consideration  makes  immediate  action  important, 
whether  based  upon  Christian  benevolence,  a  love 
of  country,  or  selfish  material  interests,  that  I  am 
profoundly  impressed  with  the  necessity  of  such 
prompt  aid  to  your  efforts  as  will  best  insure  their 
success. 

"  I  cannot  believe  that  your  appeal  to  the  good 
people  of  our  country  will  be  unsuccessful.  Such 
disinterested  devotion  as  you  have  exhibited,  and 
the  results  already  accomplished  by  your  unselfish 
work,  ought  to  be  sufficient  guarantee  of  the  far- 
reaching  and  beneficent  results  that  must  follow 
such  a  manifestation  of  Christian  charity  and  good 
citizenship,  as  would  be  apparent  in  a  cordial  and 
effective  support  of  your  endeavor. 

"  I  need  not  say  how  gratified  I  am  to  be  able 
to  indicate  to  you  that  such  support  is  forthcom 
ing.  It  will  be  seen  by  the  letters  which  I  enclose, 
that  already#n  offer  has  been  made  through  me, 
by  a  benevolent  lady  in  a  Western  city,  to  con 
tribute  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  toward  the 
Endowment  Fund,  upon  condition  that  other  sub 
scriptions  to  this  fund  aggregate  the  amount  re- 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  369 

quired.  With  so  good  a  beginning  I  cannot 
believe  it  possible  that  there  will  be  a  failure  in 
securing  the  endowment  which  Tuskegee  so 
much  needs. 

"  Yours  very  truly, 

"  GROVER  CLEVELAND." 

"  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON,  ESQ." 

In  the  absence  of  Mr.  Cleveland,  the  Hon.  Carl 
Schurz  consented  to  preside  at  the  meeting;  and, 
as  might  be  expected  of  one  so  ripe  in  experiences, 
he  proved  to  be  all  that  could  be  desired  of  a 
presiding  officer.  His  short  speech  on  taking  the 
chair  showed  a  hearty  sympathy  with  the  work 
that  is  being  done  at  Hampton  and  Tuskegee. 
Mr.  Schurz  is  a  well-known  German-American, 
who  has  been  a  general  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion, 
a  Senator  in  Congress  and  a  member  of  the 
Cabinet  of  President  Hayes.  He  has  been  for 
years  a  foremost  worker  in  the  Civil  Service 
Reform  movement.  He  is  a  writer  of  ability  and 
a  man  who  needs  no  introduction  in  the  United 
States. 

The  Tuskegee  Male  Quartette  was  present  and 
rendered  plantation  melodies,  to  the  great  delight 
of  the  audience. 

The  first  speaker  of  the  evening  was  Mr. 
Walter  H.  Page,  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
but  for  many  years  the  Editor  of  the  Atlantic 


370  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

Monthly,  in  Boston.  The  effort  of  Mr.  Page 
was  truly  wonderful.  He  is  a  native  Southerner, 
who  has  studied  the  Negro  question  for  more 
than  twenty  years,  from  every  point  of  view,  as 
he  alleged.  He  was  well  prepared  to  speak,  and 
with  irresistible  logic  and  unusual  eloquence, 
pointed  out  the  benefits  of  the  Tuskegee  plan  for 
the  solution  of  the  race  problem.  He  claimed  it 
to  be  the  only  solution  that  had  been  discovered. 
He  pointed  out  how  hopeless  was  the  condition 
of  the  race,  unless  the  problem  was  solved  by 
industrial  and  moral  training,  and  how  hopeful 
would  be  its  condition  if  the  problem  were  settled 
in  this  way. 

At  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Page's  address,  Mr. 
William  H.  Baldwin,  Jr.,  one  of  our  Trustees, 
and  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  the  Invest 
ment  of  the  Endowment  Fund,  spoke  in  behalf 
of  the  Trustees  as  follows: 

"It  is  my  privilege  to  speak  to  you  as  a 
Trustee  of  Tuskegee  Institute  on  the  subject  of 
its  finances.  The  generous  friends  who  have 
made  Tuskegee  possible  should  know  its  exact 
business  condition.  It  has  been  a  hard  but  bene 
ficial  struggle  for  Mr.  Washington  to  raise  the 
funds  necessary  to  pay  the  current  expenses  of 
the  Institution,  to  acquire  the  2,267  acres  of  land, 
and  to  erect  the  42  buildings  now  comprising  the 
school. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  371 

"During  the  18  years  of  development,  there 
have  been  imperative  demands  from  time  to  time 
for  buildings  for  which  no  specific  funds  were 
available.  The  rapid  growth  of  the  work,  the 
constantly  increasing  number  of  students,  with 
applications  for  admission  far  beyond  the  capacity 
of  the  buildings,  put  a  burden  on  the  Trustees 
which  compelled  them  in  their  positions  as 
Trustees,  to  advance  some  of  the  unrestricted 
contributions  for  the  construction  of  buildings  to 
protect  the  general  welfare  of  the  Institution. 

"  During  this  period,  enough  money  has  been 
collected  to  pay  the  current  expenses,  and  to 
accumulate  $300,000  in  plant  and  equipment,  and 
an  endowment  fund  of  $62,253.39. 

"No  mortgage  has  ever  been  placed  upon  the 
property,  and  the  Trustees  desire  to  pay  any  and 
all  indebtedness  without  mortgaging  the  property, 
and  without  using  other  resources  which  should 
be  used  for  endowment,  or  for  increased  plant. 

"The  grant  of  25,000  acres  of  land  from  the 
United  States  Government  in  1897,  is  valued  at 
a  minimum  of  $100,000,  and  that  land,  together 
with  unrestricted  legacies  to  be  received,  are 
obviously  full  security  for  the  advances  made  by 
the  Trustees.  But  these  resources  should  be 
kept  for  permanent  uses,  and  to  care  for  the  con 
stantly  increasing  demands  of  the  School. 

"  The  income  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  May 


372  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

31, 1899,  amounted  to  $i  10, 161.^9.  The  current 
expenses  for  running  the  Institution  were  $64,- 
386.70,  showing  very  economical  administration 
for  the  care  of  nearly  1,200  people.  The  balance 
of  income  was  used  in  the  construction  and  com 
pletion  of  buildings,  and  in  reducing  a  part  of 
the  indebtedness.  The  Endowment  Fund  received 
$38,848.93  last  year. 

"In  order  that  the  accounts  of  the  School 
should  be  kept  on  a  strictly  business  basis,  the 
Trustees,  in  1897,  appointed  an  Auditor,  a  Certi- 
*fled  Public  Accountant  of  New  York,  to  direct 
and  supervise  all  the  accounts.  The  Trustees 
are  in  position  to  assure  you  that  any  contri 
butions  made,  are  properly  and  rigidly  accounted 
for;  and  furthermore,  that  all  expenditures  are 
made  with  great  economy  and  wise  discretion. 

"  In  short,  Tuskegee  has  a  good  business 
organization,  and  warrants  the  entire  confidence 
of  its  friends.  Its  Endowment  Fund  will  be 
strictly  preserved.  Special  contributions  for 
buildings  or  other  specific  purposes,  will  be  kept 
separate  for  their  particular  uses,  and  the  contri 
butions  for  current  expenses  will  be  expended 
economically  and  effectively. 

"Though  the  School  is  still  in  need  of  simple 
buildings  for  dormitories,  classrooms  and  shops, 
the  Trustees  determined  in  1898  that  a  point  of 
development  had  been  reached  when  the  Institute 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  373 

should  not  go  into  debt  for  any  new  buildings, 
and  that  in  future  no  buildings  should  be  erected 
until  all  the  necessary  funds  are  guaranteed  for 
the  purpose. 

"  There  are  two  interests  to  be  served  by  the 
upbuilding  and  strengthening  of  Tuskegee — the 
whole  Negro  race,  and  the  country  as  a  whole. 
The  industrial  education  of  the  Negro — the 
education  from  the  foundation  up,  as  practiced  at 
Tuskegee,  is  of  vast  business  importance  to  all  of 
us.  The  difference  between  ten  million  ignorant 
Blacks  and  ten  million  reasonably  educated  indus 
trial  workers,  means  more  than  sympathy,  more 
than  sentiment,  more  than  our  duty — it  means 
wealth  to  the  community. 

"  There  is  no  longer  the  old  problem  of  what 
to  do  with  the  Negro.  That  question  has  been 
settled.  The  problem  now  is  one  of  co-operation 
and  help  and  work. 

"Booker  Washington  represents  the  evolution 
of  this  problem.  His  untiring  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  the  Blacks,  his  modesty,  integrity, 
ability,  in  short,  his  greatness  in  dealing  with  this 
question,  has  brought  about  such  a  complete 
change  in  the  understanding  of  the  problem 
within  the  last  few  years  that  we  can  hardly 
repay  the  debt. 

"  Can  we  stand  by  and  see  a  man  who  has  such 
power  to  lead  and  educate  his  people,  begging 


374  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

from  door  to  door  for  the  funds  necessary  to  carry 
on  his  work?  Is  it  not  our  duty  to  raise  such  a 
fund  as  will  enable  him  to  spend  most  of  his  time 
in  the  South,  where  he  is  needed,  and  where  he 
can  serve  his  people,  and  all  of  us,  as  no  other 
man  can  do? 

"  Now  is  the  time  and  the  opportunity  to  show 
our  recognition  of  the  wonderful  service  he  has 
done  his  people  and  his  country,  and  to  make  the 
opportunity  for  him  to  be  free  to  work  to  the 
best  advantage.  He  asks  an  Endowment  Fund 
of  $500,000 — a  very  modest  request.  Now  that 
the  White  and  the  Negro  of  both  the  North  and 
the  South,  and  the  authorities  of  the  State  of 
Alabama,  and  the  President  and  Congress  of  the 
United  States,  have  all  agreed  that  Tuskegee 
and  Booker  Washington  show  the  true  way,  we 
feel  confident  that  there  will  be  a  quick  response 
to  the  appeal  to  place  Tuskegee  on  a  firm  finan 
cial  standing. 

"The  friends  of  Tuskegee,  in  the  past,  have  con 
tributed  generously  to  work  out  a  problem.  The 
problem  is  now  solved — and  it  should  be  a  privi 
lege  to  us  all  to  aid  in  this  work,  with  the  full 
knowledge  that  every  dollar  expended  by  Tuske 
gee  will  aid  the  Negro  race  in  the  only  effective 
way,  and  that  our  whole  country  will  profit  by  the 
investment." 

At  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Baldwin's  address  I 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  375 

< 

was  introduced  to  the  audience  by  the  Presiding 
Officer.  In  my  speech  I  told  the  audience,  among 
other  things,  that  the  White  people  North  and 
South,  and  the  Negroes  as  well,  had  practically, 
agreed  that  the  methods  of  Tuskegee  and  Hamp 
ton  offered  the  best  solution  of  the  perplexing 
Negro  problem  that  had  been  put  forth.  In  other 
words,  that  the  whole  country  had  agreed  upon 
this  solution  of  so  important  an  economic,  political 
and  social  problem.  It  was  the  duty,  therefore, 
of  those  who  could  to  supply  the  means  for  an 
effective  solution  in  this  way.  I  will  not  burden 
the  reader  with  extracts  from  that  speech. 

After  I  had  concluded,  Rev.  Dr.  W.  S.  Rains- 
ford,  Rector  of  St.  George's  Church,  New  York, 
made  a  few  extemporaneous  remarks,  which  were 
regarded  as  a  strong  appeal  in  behalf  of  the  pur 
pose  of  the  meeting.  I  only  wish  I  could  lay  be 
fore  the  reader  the  remarks  of  this  gentleman  in 
full.  He  said,  among  other  things,  that  Tuske 
gee  was  doing  a  work  for  humanity — not  only  for 
the  "  Black  Belt,"  but  for  the  whole  country. 
Pointing  to  me,  he  said,  "  It  is  our  duty  to  do  for 
that  man,  engaged  in  that  noble  work,  what  we 
failed  to  do  for  General  Armstrong.  We  allowed 
General  Armstrong  to  go  around  begging,  beg 
ging  from  door  to  door,  to  carry  on  the  work  at 
Hampton,  until  it  killed  him.  It  is  our  duty  to 
save  Mr.  Washington  from  an  untimely  death, 


376  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

* 

brought  on  in  this  way.  It  is  our  duty  to  save 
him  for  useful  service  by  endowing  Tuskegee." 

As  may  be  partly  gleaned  from  Mr.  Cleveland's 
3  letter,  the  results  of  this  meeting  began  to  be  felt 
immediately. 

A  few  days  after  the  lady  in  the  West,  men 
tioned  in  Mr.  Cleveland's  letter,  gave  notice  that 
she  would  give  us  $25,000  on  condition  that  the 
whole  amount  sought  for  was  raised,  we  were 
very  pleasantly  surprised  to  receive  her  check  for 
the  $25,000,  she  having  decided  to  remove  the 
condition.  Counting  this  $25,000  with  the  $50,000 
given  by  Mr.  Huntington  and  $10,000  by 'Mr. 
John  D.  Rockefeller,  the  result  of  the  meeting  was 
$85,000;  Mr.  Rockefeller's  $10,000,  however, 
being  given  for  current  expenses.  Adding  what 
was  received  as  a  result  of  this  meeting  to  our 
previous  Endowment  Fund,  we  have  now  in 
the  hands  of  our  Endowment  Committee  about 
$150,000  from  which  the  school  is  receiving 
interest. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

LOOKING  BACKWARD. 

My  work  at  Tuskegee  has  always  been  of  a 
three  fold  nature.  First,  the  executive  work  of 
the  institution  proper;  second,  the  securing  of 
money  with  which  to  carry  on  the  institution; 
and,  third,  the  education  through  the  public  press 
and  through  public  addresses  of  the  white  people 
North  and  South  as  to  the  condition  and  needs 
of  the  race.  On  the  grounds,  in  addition  to  the 
ordinary  task  involved  in  educating  and  disciplining 
over  a  thousand  students,  is  added  the  responsibil 
ity  of  training  them  in  parental  directions,  involv 
ing  systematic  regulations  for  bathing,  eating, 
sleeping,  the  use  of  the  tooth  brush  and  care  of 
health.  In  performing  these  duties,  especially  in 
collecting  money  in  the  early  years,  I  have  often 
met  with  many  discouragements,  but  I  early 
resolved  to  let  nothing  cause  me  to  despair  com 
pletely. 

The  first  time  I  went  North  to  secure  money 
for  the  Tuskegee  Institute  I  remember  that  on 
my  way  I  called  to  see  one  of  the  secretaries  of 
an  organization  which  for  years  had  been  deeply 
interested  in  the  education  of  our  people  in  the 

377 


378  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

South.  I  supposed,  of  course,  that  I  should 
receive  a  most  cordial  and  encouraging  reception 
at  his  hands.  To  my  surprise  he  received  me 
most  coldly  and  proceeded  to  tell  me  in  the 
most  discouraging  tones  possible  that  I  had  made 
a  mistake  by  coming  North  to  secure  aid  for  our 
school,  and  he  advised  me  to  take  the  first  train 
South.  He  said  that  I  could  not  possibly  succeed 
in  securing  any  funds  for  Tuskegee.  In  fact,  he 
told  me  very  frankly  that  I  would  not  secure 
enough  money  to  pay  my.  traveling  expenses.  I 
confess  that  this  bucket  of  cold  water  thrown 
upon  me  at  a  time  when  I  needed  encouraging 
and  sympathetic  words  more  than  anything  else, 
rather  tended  to  take  the  heart  out  of  me,  but 
I  determined  not  to  give  up,  brt  to  keep  pressing 
forward,  until  I  had  thoroughly  demonstrated 
whether  or  not  it  was  possible  for  me  to  secure 
funds  in  the  North.  I  will  not  prolong  this  story 
except  to  say  that  within  a  period  of  four  years 
after  I  was  so  coldly  received  by  this  secretary, 
he  introduced  me  where  I  was  to  speak  at  a 
large  public  meeting  in  New  York  City  in  the 
interest  of  Tuskegee;  and,  in  introducing  me  to 
the  large  audience,  he  used  the  most  flattering 
language  and  praised  me  without  stint  for  the 
successful  work  that  I  was  engaged  in  doing.  I 
do  not  know  whether  he  remembered,  while  he 


BOOKER  T.WASHINGTON.,  379 

was  introducing  me,  that  I  was  the  young  man 
he  had  discouraged  only  four  years  before. 

I  shall  never  forget  my  first  experience  in 
speaking  before  a  Northern  audience.  Before  I 
went  North  Gen.  Armstrong  had  talked  to  me  a 
good  deal  about  what  to  say  and  how  to  say  it. 
I  shall  always  remember  one  of  his  injunctions* 
which  was,  "  Give  them  an  idea  for  every  word." 
When  I  first  went  into  the  North  to  get  money  I 
began  work  in  one  or  two  of  the  small  towns  in 
the  Western  part  of  Massachusetts.  As  I  remem 
ber  it,  the  first  town  that  I  reached  was  North 
ampton.  As  I  expected  to  remain  in  the  town 
several  days,  my  first  effort  was  to  find  a  colored 
family  with  whom  I  could  board,  but  as  very  few 
colored  families  lived  in  that  town  I  found  this  not 
an  easy  job.  It  did  not  once*  occur  to  me  that  I 
could  find  accommodation  at  any  of  the  hotels  in 
Northampton. 

As  an  indication  of  Gen.  Armstrong's  deep 
interest  and  helpful  influence  in  the  establishment 
and  progress  of  this  institution,  I  insert  a  letter 
of  recommendation  he  gave  me  to  be  used  among 
people  in  the  North.  These  letters  were  always 
given  most  freely  and  the  General  was  constantly 
in  search  of  opportunities  to  serve  the  school: 


380  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

"HAMPTON,  VA.,  Oct.  26,  1891. 

"This  is  to  introduce  Mr.  Booker  T.  Wash 
ington,  the  head  of  the  Tuskegee,  Alabama, 
Colored  Normal  and  Industrial  School. 

"  It  is  a  noble,  notable  work;  the  best  product 
of  Negro  enterprise  of  the  century.  I  make  this 
statement  advisedly.  I  beg  a  hearing  for  Mr. 
Washington,  he  is  a  true  4  Moses.' 

"  As  much  as  "any  man  in  the  land,  he  is  securing 
to  the  whole  country  the  moral  results  which  the 
Civil  War  meant  to  produce. 

"  Tuskegee  is  the  bright  spot  in  the  Black  Belt 
of  the  South.  It  is  a  proof  that  the  Negro  can 
raise  the  Negro. 

"S.  C.  ARMSTRONG." 

On  the  day  before*  Gen.  Armstrong  was  stricken 
with  the  paralysis  which  finally  resulted  in  his 
death,  I  remember  that  I  met  him  on  Beacon 
Street,  in  Boston,  and  told  him  that  some  ladies 
in  New  York  were  discussing  the  matter  of 
giving  us  a  new  building,  but  seemed  somewhat 
undecided  as  to  the  wisdom  of  doing  so.  I  was 
talking  to  the  General  about  interceding  in  order 
to  get  these  friends  to  decide  to  furnish  the 
building.  He  seemed  greatly  interested  in  the 
matter  and  promised  to  either  see  or  communi 
cate  with  these  New  York  ladies.  Before  we 
finished  our  conversation,  however,  we  were 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  381 

interrupted  by  some  one  and  we  did  not  finish  the 
talk  about  the  building.  The  next  day  Gen. 
Armstrong  was  stricken  with  paralysis,  and  no 
one  was  permitted  to  see  him  for  several  days. 
After  several  days  had  passed  by,  the  doctors 
seemed  to  be  convinced  that  he  could  not  live  but 
for  a  few  hours,  and  I,  in  company  with  several 
other  persons,  was  allowed  to  see  him  in  his  room 
at  the  Barker  House.  To  my  surprise,  the 
minute  I  entered  the  room,  he  took  up  the  thread 
of  our  conversation  concerning  the  building  where 
it  was  broken  off  several  days  previously  on 
Beacon  Street,  and  began  at  once  advising  how 
to  secure  the  building.  The  General  did  not 
recover  from  this  stroke  of  paralysis,  but  lived 
about  eight  months  after  it.  In  January,  1893, 
that  is,  about  four  months  before  he  died,  he  came 
to  Tuskegee,  or  rather  was  brought  to  Tuskegee, 
because  he  was  too  weak  to  travel  alone,  and 
remained  a  guest  at  my  home  for  three  weeks. 
During  these  weeks  he  suffered  intensely  at 
times,  but  was  always  in  good  spirits  and  cheerful. 
His  heart  was  so  wrapped  up  in  the  elevation  of 
the  Negro  that  it  seemed  impossible  to  induce 
him  to  take  any  rest.  Most  of  the  time  when  he 
was  not  asleep  he  was  planning  or  advising  con 
cerning  the  interest  of  the  black  man,  and  spent 
much  time  in  writing  articles  for  newspapers  and 
to  friends  in  the  North.  He  was  present  during 


382  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

the  session  of  our  Negro  Conference  in  February, 
1893,  and  it  was  a  memorable  sight  to  see  him 
carried  by  the  strong  arms  of  four  students  up 
the  stairs  of  the  chapel  and  to  the  presence  of 
the  Conference.  The  impression  that  the  sight 
of  Gen.  Armstrong  made  upon  the  members  of 
the  Conference  is  almost  indescribable.  All  felt 
as  though  he  was  their  most  strong  and  helpful 
friend,  and  they  had  a  confidence  in  him  that  they 
had  in  no  other  being  on  earth.  It  was  at  this 
Conference  that  Gen.  Armstromg  made  his  first 
attempt  to  speak  in  public  after  he  was  stricken 
with  paralysis,  and  his  success  in  being  heard  and 
understood  was  so  encouraging  that  he  spoke  to 
audiences  on  several  other  occasions. 

I  must  not  neglect  to  mention  the  manner  in 
which  Gen.  Armstrong  and  Mr.  Howe,  the  farm 
manager  at  Hampton,  were  received  at  the  school 
on  the  occasion  of  this  visit,  for  this  was  the 
second  visit  that  the  General  had  made  to  the 
school.  Both  students  and  teachers  were  most 
anxious  to  do  him  all  the  honor  possible,  and  for 
several  weeks  previous  to  his  corning  we  were 
quite  busily  engaged  in  devising  some  plan  to 
receive  the  General  in  a  proper  manner.  At  last 
it  was  decided  to  ask  the  authorities  of  the  Tus- 
kegee  Railroad  to  run  a  special  train  from 
Tuskegee  to  Chehaw  to  meet  the  General.  This 
request  the  railroad  authorities  very  kindly 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  383 

granted.  He  arrived  upon  the  school  grounds  at 
about  nine  o'clock  at  night.  Each  student  and 
teacher  had  supplied  himself  with  a  long  piece  of 
light  wood,  or  "  litted,"  as  the  colored  people  are 
in  the  habit  of  calling  it.  A  long  line  was  formed, 
and  when  he  came  upon  the  school  grounds,  the 
General  was  driven  between  two  rows  of  students, 
each  one  holding  one  of  these  lighted  torches. 
The  effect  was  most  interesting  and  gratifying. 
I  think  I  never  saw  anything  done  for  the  General 
which  seemed  to  make  him  so  happy  and  give 
him  such  satisfaction  as  this  reception. 

The  first  public  address  that  I  delivered  in  the 
North  was  in  Chicopee,  a  town  not  far  from 
Springfield.  I  spoke  in  the  Congregational 
Church  in  the  morning,  but  was  careful  to  com 
mit  my  entire  address  to  memory.  I  was  a  little 
embarrassed  after  the  morning  meeting  was  over 
when  several  of  the  members  of  the  congregation, 
in  congratulating  me  over  my  success,  stated  that 
they  had  enjoyed  my  morning  address  so  much 
that  they  had  planned  to  go  to  Chicopee  Falls, 
an  adjoining  town,  to  hear  me  speak  in  the 
evening.  As  I  had  only  the  one  address  to 
deliver  one  can  easily  see  that  I  was  in  rather  an 
embarrassing  position. 

While  the  greater  portion  of  my  speaking  has 
been  before  Northern  white  audiences,  I  also  im 
proved  every  opportunity  to  speak  to  my  own 


384  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

people,  both  in  the  North  and  in  the  South.  In 
fact,  during  the  earlier  years  of  the  institution  I 
carried  on  a  regular  campaign  of  speaking  among 
the  colored  people  in  the  South,  going  to  their 
churches,  Sunday-schools,  associations,  institutes, 
camp-meetings,  conferences,  etc.  They  did  not, 
as  I  have  stated,  take  kindly  to  the  idea  of  indus 
trial  education  at  first,  and  it  was  largely  by 
reason  of  my  efforts  in  these  public  meetings  that 
I  succeeded  in  converting  them  to  the  idea  of 
favoring  industrial  education.  At  one  time  I 
hired  a  team  and  took  one  of  the  older  students 
with  me,  and  we  drove  for  many  miles,  stopping 
at  the  homes  of  individuals  and  at  churches  to 
explain  to  them  the  work  of  the  school. 

The  first  opportunity  I  had  to  speak  to  a 
Southern  white  audience  was  on  the  occasion  of 
the  gathering  of  the  Christian  Worker's  Con 
vention,  which  was  held  in  Atlanta,  in  1893.  It 
seems  that  it  was  largely  because  of  the  impres 
sion  that  I  made  upon  this  audience  in  Atlanta 
that  the  authorities  of  the  Atlanta  Exposition 
were  led  to  extend  me  an  invitation  to  deliver  an 
address  at  the  opening  of  that  exposition.  I  shall 
let  an  account  given  in  the  Christian  World,  pub 
lished  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  take  the  place  of 
my  own  words  in  regard  to  this  address  before 
the  Christian  Worker's  Convention: 

"Booker    T.    Washington,    principal    of    the 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  387 

Tuskegee,  Ala.,  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute, 
was  given  a  place  on  the  program  at  the  Conven 
tion  of  Christian  Workers  held  at  Atlanta,  Ga., 
in  1893,  for  a  five  minutes  report  of  progress,  the 
time  being  thus  brief  on  account  of  the  fact  that 
a  full  report  with  questions  and  answers  covering 
three-quarters  of  an  hour  had  been  given  at  the 
Convention  the  year  previous,  held  in  Tremont 
Temple,  Boston.  When  he  made  the  engage 
ment  he  doubtless  expected  to  be  either  at  Tus 
kegee,  which  is  not  far  from  Atlanta,  or  spending 
the  Convention  days  with  other  Christian  Work 
ers  in  Atlanta.  It  came  about,  however,  that  he 
found  it  necessary  to  make  engagements  in  the 
North  immediately  before  and  after  the  date  on 
which  he  was  announced  to  speak  at  Atlanta.  To 
keep  his  Atlanta  engagement  it  was  necessary 
that  he  should  leave  Boston  for  that  city,  reach 
ing  there  on  the  last  train  arriving  before  he  was 
announced  to  speak,  and  to  return  North  on  the 
first  train  leaving  Atlanta  after  his  brief  address. 
It  was  a  great  sacrifice  for  a  five  minutes'  ad 
dress.  Mr.  Washington  said  simply  that  it 
was  his  duty  to  keep  his  appointment.  It  does 
not  appear  that  the  fact  that  he  would  be 
compelled  to  travel  about  500  miles  for  every 
minute  of  his  address,  had  much  weight  or  even 
consideration.  To  do  his  duty  was  not  small  or 
unimportant.  The  results  of  this  address  were 


388  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

great,  great  beyond  all  human  thought.  Mr. 
Washington  has  since  stated  that  he  had  never 
before  made  an  address  to  the  white  people  of 
the  South.  His  audience  of  over  2,000  leading 
Christian  people,  ministers,  business  men,  legis 
lators,  law  makers,  judges,  officials,  representa 
tives  of  the  press,  from  Atlanta,  from  Georgia 
and  from  other  states  of  the  South,  were  charmed 
by  his  personality  and  the  passionate  earnestness 
with  which  he  set  forth  the  magnificent  scheme 
of  Christian  effort  at  Tuskegee,  and  pleaded 
for  the  upbuilding  of  his  race  under  Southern 
skies.  This  representative  audience  saw  before 
them  a  representative  of  his  race  such  as  they  had 
not  been  wont  to  see.  His  address  was  flashed 
over  the  wires  by  sympathetic  press  agents 
through  the  South,  and  he  probably  never  before 
spoke  to  a  larger  and  more  influential  audience. 
But  in  the  providence  of  God  there  were  still 
greater  results." 

I  have  always  made  it  a  rule  to  keep  engage 
ments  of  a  public  nature  when  I  have  once  made 
a  promise  to  do  so.  On  one  occasion  I  had  an 
appointment  to  speak  in  a  small  country  church 
not  far  from  Boston.  Just  before  night  a  severe 
snow  storm  came  up,  and  although  I  knew  this 
storm  would  keep  every  one  from  the  meeting,  I 
made  it  a  point  to  be  present.  When  I  got  to 
the  church  there  was  no  one  present  except  the 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  389 

sexton.  The  minister  himself  did  not  come,  and 
when  I  saw  him  later  he  was  surprised  to  find 
that  I  had  been  at  the  church  on  the  night 
appointed,  and  told  me  he  felt  sure  I  would  not 
be  present  on  account  of  the  storm. 

In  the  earlier  days  of  the  institution,  of  course, 
it  was  a  difficult  task  to  secure  interviews  with 
persons  of  prominence  and  wealth  in  the  North, 
but  Gen.  Armstrong's  recommendations,  which 
he  was  always  willing  to  give,  in  most  cases 
served  to  secure  me  a  hearing.  It  was  equally 
difficult  in  our  early  history  to  secure  opportuni 
ties  from  ministers  and  others  to  speak  before 
their  congregations.  Such  calls  on  ministers 
were,  of  course,  very  numerous,  and  one  can 
hardly  blame  them  for  shutting  out  those  with 
whom  they  were  not  well  acquainted.  I  have 
been  often  surprised  to  note  the  number  of  irre 
sponsible  and  unworthy  colored  men  and  women 
who  spend  their  time  in  the  North  attempting  to 
secure  money  for  institutions  that  in  many  cases 
have  no  existence;  or  when  they  exist  at  all,  are 
in  such  a  feeble  and  unorganized  condition  as  in 
no  way  to  have  a  claim  upon  the  generosity  of 
the  public.  Many  of  these  schools,  of  course, 
within  a  radius  of  a  mile  or  two,  do  reasonably 
good  work,  but  I  am  quite  sure  the  time  has 
come  when  the  North  should  confine  its  gifts 
wholly  to  the  larger  and  well  organized  institu- 


390  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

tions  which  are  able  to  train  teachers  or  industrial 
leaders  who  will  go  out  and  show  these  local 
communities  how  to  build  up  schools  for  them 
selves.  Three  or  four  hundred  dollars  given  to 
one  local  community  may  serve  to  help  it  for  a 
time,  but  there  are  a  hundred  thousand  other 
communities  that  need  help  just  as  much;  scatter 
ing  a  few  hundred  dollars  here  and  there  among 
local  communities  amounts  to  little  in  putting  the 
people  upon  their  feet,  but  putting  it  into  a  teacher 
who  will  show  the  community  how  to  help  itself 
means  much  in  the  way  of  the  solution  of  our 
problem. 

The  constant  work  of  appealing  to  individuals, 
speaking  before  churches,  Sunday-schools,  etc., 
gradually  served  to  make  the  institution  known 
in  most  parts  of  the  country.  This  was  true  to 
such  an  extent  that  in  1883  we  received  our  first 
legacy  of  $500  through  the  will  of  Mr.  Frederick 
Marquand  of  Southport,  Conn.  This  was  a 
most  pleasant  and  gratifying  surprise  to  us,  as 
we  had  no  thought  of  any  one's  remembering 
us  in  this  way.  Since  then,  however,  hardly  a 
year  has  passed  that  we  have  not  been  remem 
bered  by  a  legacy.  The  largest  sum  that  we 
have  received  in  this  manner  has  been  $30,000 
through  the  will  of  Mr.  Edward  Austin,  of  Boston. 
Mr.  Austin's  case  is  another  one  which  shows,  as 
I  have  already  mentioned,  that  one  should  try  to 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON,  391 

cultivate  the  habit  of  doing  his  duty  to  the  full 
extent  each  day  and  not  worry  over  results. 

I  remember  that  the  first  time  I  saw  Mr.  Austin 
was  about  the  year  1885  when  the  late  Dr.  W.  I. 
Bowditch,  of  Boston,  gave  me  a  letter  to  him. 
At  that  time  Mr.  Austin  gave  me  his  check  for 
$50,  but  gave  nothing  between  1885  and  1896 
and  seemed  to  take  little  interest  in  the  school, 
in  fact  I  had  supposed  that  he  had  forgotten  all 
about  us.  I  tried  on  several  occasions  to  get 
another  audience  with  him  but  did  not  succeed. 
In  1896,  while  in  Boston,  I  was  very  much  sur 
prised  to  receive  an  invitation  from  Mr.  Austin 
to  call  at  his  home.  He  was  then  very  feeble, 
being  over  ninety  years  of  age,  but  he  told  me 
that  he  had  remembered  us  in  his  will,  and  that 
as  it  would  not  be  possible  for  him  to  live  much 
longer,  we  would  likely  come  into  possession  of 
the  money  within  a  reasonably  short  time,  which 
proved  to  be  true. 

On  another  occasion,  I  walked  a  long  distance 
out  into  the  country  during  a  cold  winter  day,  to 
see  a  gentleman  who  lived  near  Stamford,  Conn. 
(More  than  once,  I  was  rather  inclined  to  blame 
myself  for  exposing  my  body  to  the  cold  on  what 
might  prove  a  fruitless  journey.)  When  I  arrived 
at  the  gentleman's  house  rather  late  in  the  even 
ing,  he  gave  me,  after  considerable  hesitation,  a 
small  check,  but  did  not  seem  to  take  a  great 


392  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

deal  of  interest  in  the  school.  The  following 
year,  however,  I  succeeded  in  obtain  ing  from  him 
a  check  for  a  somewhat  larger  amount.  His 
interest,  however,  continued  to  grow  from  year 
to  year,  so  that  in  1891  he  surprised  us  all  by 
sending  a  check  for  $10,000.  Up  to  that  time 
this  was  the  largest  single  gift  in  cash  that  the 
institution  had  ever  received,  and  my  readers  can 
well  imagine  that  the  receipt  of  this  large  sum 
caused  a  day  of  general  rejoicing  on  the  grounds 
at  Tuskegee. 

I  have  referred  already  to  the  gift  of  $400 
from  a  friend  who  helped  us  when  we  were  in  an 
embarrassing  position.  I  might  add  that  the 
following  year  this  same  friend  sent  us  a  check 
for  $3,000,  and  since  that  time  she  and  her  sister 
have  given  regularly  to  us  $3,000  each  year. 
These  two  friends  have  done  as  much,  if  not 
more,  to  keep  the  institution  on  a  firm  footing 
than  any  one  else  that  I  know  of. 

I  have  had,  in  my  eighteen  years  of  experience 
in  collecting  money  for  the  Tuskegee  Institute, 
some  very  interesting  episodes.  On  the  whole, 
collecting  money  is  hard,  disagreeable,  wearing 
work,  but  there  are  some  compensations  that 
come  from  it.  In  the  first  place,  it  brings  one 
into  contact  with  some  of  the  best  people  in  the 
world,  as  well  as  some  of  the  meanest  and  most 
narrow  ones.  Very  often,  when  I  have  been  in 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  393 

the  North  seeking  money,  I  have  found  myself 
completely  without  cash.  I  remember  one  time 
while  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  that  when  I  had  spent 
all  the  money  I  had  and  was  still  without  break 
fast,  in  crossing  the  streets  I  found  twenty-five 
cents  near  the  sidewalk.  With  this  I  bought 
my  breakfast,  and  with  the  added  strength  and 
courage  which  that  breakfast  gave  me,  I  went  in 
quest  of  donations  for  Tuskegee,  and  was  soon 
rewarded  by  several  large  gifts. 

As  an  example  of  the  way  in  which  I  have 
used  my  time  from  year  to  year,  there  have  been 
many  occasions  when  I  have  slept  in  three  differ 
ent  beds  in  one  night,  while  traveling  through 
different  portions  of  the  country.  I  give  here  a 
portion  of  a  schedule  which  I  followed  on  a  recent 
lecture  tour  in  the  West.  This  will  enable 
my  readers  to  judge  whether  or  not  to  speak  from 
night  to  night  is  the  easy  job  that  many  people 
take  it  to  be : 

I  spoke  at  Mt.  Vernon,  Iowa,  January  19,  1900, 
8  P.  M.,  then  took  the  1 1  o'clock  train  for  Cedar 
Rapids,  where  I  arrived  in  about  twenty-five 
minutes.  Laid  over  in  Cedar  Rapids  until  3:15 
o'clock,  A.  M.,  then  took  the  Burlington,  Cedar 
Rapids  &  Northern  railway  for  Columbus 
Junction,  where  I  arrived  about  5  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  remaining  in  Columbus  Junction  until 
about  8  o'clock,  when  I  took  the  Chicago,  Rock 


394  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

Island  &  Pacific  railway  for  Centerville,  Iowa 
where  I  arrived  at  12:37,  January  20,  much 
fatigued  and  worn  out  from  the  long  journey  over 
three  different  railroads.  At  8  o'clock  I  again 
spoke,  and  at  12:18  A.  M.  again  took  the  train 
for  Chicago,  where  I  was  billed  to  speak  twice 
the  same  day,  and  on  the  following  morning  I 
took  the  train  for  a  long  journey  westward,  finally 
ending  in  Denver,  and  in  returning  stopped  off  at 
Omaha  and  other  places,  and  I  then  discovered 
that  another  month  had  come. 

During  1892  I  was  asked  by  Rev.  Lyman 
Abbott,  D.  D.,  editor  of  the  Outlook,  to  write  an 
article  for  his  paper  which  would  let  the  country 
know  the  exact  condition  and  needs  of  the  Negro 
ministry  in  the  South.  In  this  article  I  told  as 
fully  and  frankly  as  I  could  just  what  the  condi 
tion  of  the  ministry  was  mentally,  morally  and 
religiously.  A  very  large  proportion  of  the 
colored  ministers  throughout  the  country  became 
greatly  incensed  at  what  I  said,  feeling  that  I 
had  injured  the  Negro  ministry  very  materially 
by  my  plain  language.  For  almost  a  year  after 
this  article  was  written  scarcely  a  Negro  confer 
ence  or  association  assembled  in  any  part  of  the 
country  that  did  not  proceed  to  pass  resolutions 
condemning  me  and  the  article  which  I  had  written. 
This  went  on  for  some  time  but  I  was  determined 
not  to  in  any  way  yield  the  position  which  I  had 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  395 

taken,  for  thq  reason  that  I  knew  that  I  was  right 
and  had  spoken  the  truth.  At  the  time  when  the 
discussion  and  condemnation  of  myself  was  at  the 
highest  pitch,  the  late  Bishop  D.  A.  Payne,  of  the 
A.  M.  E.  Church,  wrote  a  letter  endorsing  all  the 
statements  which  I  had  made,  and  adding  on  his 
own  account  that  I  had  not  told  the  whole  truth. 
This  of  course  added  fresh  fuel  to  the  flames  and 
the  Bishop  for  several  months  came  in  for  his 
share  of  the  condemnation. 

At  the  present  time,  after  the  lapse  of  eight 
years,  I  feel  that  the  institution  at  Tuskegee  and 
myself  personally  have  no  warmer  friends  than 
we  have  in  the  Negro  ministers.  Almost  with 
out  exception  at  the  present  time  they  acknowl 
edge  that  the  article  which  I  wrote  has  done  the 
whole  body  of  ministers  a  great  deal  of  good ; 
that  bishops  and  other  church  officers  were  made 
to  realize  the  importance  of  not  only ,  purifying 
the  ministry  as  far  as  possible  but  demanding  a 
higher  standard  in  the  pulpit  so  far  as  mental 
education  was  concerned.  I  scarcely  ever  go 
anywhere  without  receiving  the  thanks  of  min 
isters  for  my  plain  talk.  They  feel  that  they  are 
greatly  indebted  to  me  for  much  of  the  improve 
ment  that  has  taken  place  within  recent  years. 
Of  course  when  it  is  considered  at  the  time  I 
wrote  this  article  that  a  very  small  proportion  of 
the  colored  ministers  had  had  an  opportunity  to 


396  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

secure  systematic  training  that  would  give  them 
mental  strength,  moral  and  religious  stamina,  it 
could  not  have  been  expected  that  any  large  pro 
portion  could  have  been  fitted  in  the  highest 
degree  for  the  office  of  ministers.  The  improve 
ment  at  the  present  time  is  constantly  going  on, 
and  within  a  few  years  I  believe  that  the  Negro 
church  is  going  to  be  quite  a  different  thing  from 
what  it  has  had  the  reputation  of  being  in  the 
past. 

At  all  times  during  the  discussion  and  condem 
nation  of  myself  there  was  not  wanting  strong 
and  prominent  people  in  different  parts  of  the 
country  among  our  own  race  who  stood  valiantly 
and  bravely  by  the  position  which  I  had  taken. 
Among  them,  as  leader,  was  Mr.  T.  Thomas  For 
tune,  the  editor  of  the  New  York  Age.  Mr. 
Fortune  in  this  matter,  as  in  all  other  matters 
where  he  has  considered  my  position  the  correct 
one,  has  defended  and  supported  me  without 
regard  to  his  personal  popularity  or  unpopularity. 
While  he  and  I  differ  and  have  differed  on  many 
important  public  questions,  we  have  never  allowed 
our  differences  to  mar  our  personal  friendship. 
In  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  our  race 
in  the  South  I  have  always  consulted  him  most 
freely  and  frankly.  For  example,  in  the  prepar 
ation  of  the  open  letter  to  the  Louisiana  State 
Constitutional  Convention,  Mr.  Fortune  and 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  397 

myself  sat  up  nearly  one  whole  night  at  Tuske- 
gee  preparing  this  letter.  I  have  seldom  ever 
given  any  public  utterances  to  the  country  that 
have  not  had  his  criticism  and  approval.  His 
help  and  friendship  to  me  in  many  directions  has 
been  most  potent  in  enabling  me  to  accomplish 
whatever  I  have  been  able  to  do. 

In  the  same  class  with  Mr.  Fortune  I  would 
put  my  private  secretary,  Mr.  Emmet  J.  Scott, 
who,  for  a  number  of  years,  has  been  in  the  closest 
and  most  helpful  relations  to  me  in  all  my  work. 
Without  his  constant  and  painstaking  care  it 
would  be  impossible  for  me  to  perform  even  a 
very  small  part  of  the  labor  that  I  now  do.  Mr. 
Scott  understands  so  thoroughly  my  motives, 
plans  and  ambitions  that  he  puts  himself  into  my 
own  position  as  nearly  as  it  is  possible  for  one 
individual  to  put  himself  into  the  place  of  another, 
and  in  this  way  makes  himself  invaluable  not 
only  to  me  personally  but  to  the  institution.  Such 
a  man  as  Mr.  Scott  I  have  found  exceedingly 
rare,  only  once  or  twice  in  a  lifetime  are  such 
people  discovered. 

There  is  only  one  way  for  an  individual  to 
collect  money  for  a  worthy  institution,  as  there  is 
only  one  way  for  him  to  succeed  in  any  line  of 
work,  and  that  is  to  make  up  his  mind  to  do  his 
duty  to  the  fullest  extent  and  let  results  take  care 
of  themselves. 


398  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

In  the  earlier  years  of  the  institution  I  called 
to  see  a  rich  gentleman  in  New  York,  who  did 
not  even  ask  me  to  take  a  seat,  but  in  a  gruff  and 
cold  manner  handed  me  two  dollars,  as  if  to  say, 
I  give  you  this  to  get  rid  of  you.  Since  that 
time  this  same  individual  has  given  to  Tuskegee 
as  much  as  ten  thousand  dollars  in  cash,  at  one 
time.  In  other  cases,  where  I  found  it  impossible 
to  secure  an  audience,  in  the  early  days  of  this 
work,  I  have  since  been  sent  for  by  these  same 
individuals  and  asked  to  accept  money  for  the 
institution.  In  many  cases  I  have  gone  to  indi 
viduals  and  presented  our  cause  only  to  receive 
an  insult  or  the  coldest  and  most  discouraging 
reception.  Perhaps  the  next  individual  on  whom 
I  called  would  politely  and  earnestly  thank  me 
for  calling  and  giving  him  an  opportunity  to 
make  a  gift  to  Tuskegee. 

During  the  early  struggles  of  our  work,  in 
many  instances,  I  went  to  ministers  in  the  North 
to  secure  opportunity  to  speak  in  their  churches, 
but  received  "No"  for  my  answer.  Often  where 
I  have  received  such  answers,  I  have  since  received 
letters  from  these  same  ministers  begging  that  I 
would  deliver  lectures  in  their  churches  and 
naming  large  sums  of  money  as  compensation 
for  my  lectures. 

The  institution  has  now  reached  a  point  where 
it  conducts*  all  of  its  affairs  on  a  more  strictly  cash 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  399 

basis  than  in  its  earlier  years;  in  fact,  the  general 
policy  of  the  school  at  present  is  to  undertake  no 
enterprise  in  the  way  of  improvements  until  it 
has  the  money  in  hand  for  such  improvements. 
This  policy  could  not  be  carried  out  very  well  in 
the  early  years  of  the  school,  when  we  were  so 
hard  pressed  for  buildings.  One  thing  which  I 
have  always  thought  has  helped  us  a  great  deal 
is  that  we  have  always  made  it  a  point  to  have 
the  strictest  and  most  approved  system  of  book 
keeping  in  connection  with  all  of  our  financial 
transactions.  Our  books  have  been  at  all  times 
open  to  the  inspection  of  the  public.  In  account 
ing  for  our  income  and  expenditures  Mr.  Logan, 
our  Treasurer,  from  the  first  has  been  of  the 
highest  service  to  the  institution.  We  have  never 
allowed  any  carelessness  in  the  matter  of  book 
keeping. 

I  have  been  often  asked  by  young  men  how 
they  can  succeed  in  this  or  that  direction.  My 
advice  to  them  is  to  make  up  their  minds  care 
fully,  in  the  first  place,  as  to  what  they  want  to  do 
and  then  persistently  devote  themselves  to  accom 
plishing  that  end,  letting  nothing  discourage  them. 
If  I  may  be  allowed  a  little  pardonable  pride  in 
connection  with  this  statement,  I  would  add,  to 
show  how  mistaken  that  Secretary  was  who 
attempted  to  discourage  me  by  telling  me  that  I 
would  not  secure  enough  funds  to  pay  my  travel- 


400  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

ing  expenses,  that  since  the  institution  at  Tuske- 
gee  was  started  I  have  collected  myself,  or  been 
instrumental  in  causing  others  to  help  me  secure, 
all  told,  fully  $1,000,000  for  the  permanent  plant 
endowment  and  the  annual  expenses  of  Tuskegee. 
Were  I  to  attempt  to  give  an  account  of  all  the 
ways  and  means  by  which  individuals  have  tried 
to  discourage  me  since  I  began  at  Tuskegee  this 
little  book  would  contain  little  else  than  this.  I 
have  always  found  it  easy  to  find  people  who 
could  tell  me  how  a  thing  could  not  be  accom 
plished,  but  very  hard  to  find  those  who  could 
tell  me  how  a  thing  could  be  accomplished.  In 
my  opinion  the  world  is  much  more  interested  in 
finding  people  who  know  how  to  accomplish 
something  than  those  who  merely  explain  why  it 
is  impossible  to  accomplish  certain  results. 

I  have  been  asked  many  times  how  I  have 
succeeded  in  this  thing  or  in  that  thing.  In  most 
every  case  I  have  replied  that  it  has  required 
constant,  hard,  conscientious  work.  I  consider 
that  there  is  no  permanent  success  possible  with 
out  hard  and  severe  effort,  coupled  with  the 
highest  and  most  praiseworthy  aims.  Luck,  as  I 
have  experienced  it,  is  only  another  name  for 
hard  work.  Almost  any  individual  can  succeed 
in  any  legitimate  enterprise  that  he  sets  his  heart 
upon  if  he  is  willing  to  pay  the  price,  but  the 
price,  in  most  cases,  is  being  willing  to  toil  when 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  401 

others  are  resting,  being  willing  to  work  while 
others  are  sleeping,  being  willing  to  put  forth  the 
severest  effort  when  there  is  no  one  to  see  or 
applaud.  It  is  comparatively  easy  to  find  people 
who  are  willing  to  work  when  the  world  is  look 
ing  on  and  ready  to  give  applause,  but  very  hard 
to  find  those  who  are  willing  to  work  in  the 
corner  or  at  midnight  when  there  is  no  watchful 
eye  or  anyone  to  give  applause. 

I  end  this  volume  as  I  began,  with  an  apology 
for  writing  it.  It  is  always  highly  distasteful  to 
me  to  speak  about  myself  and  in  writing  what  I 
have,  I  have  attempted  in  a  small  degree,  at  least, 
to  subdue  my  own  personal  feeling  with  a  view 
of  giving  the  public  as  much  information  as 
possible,  and  I  hope  that  some  permanent  good 
will  result  from  my  effort. 


C/2 

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CHAPTER  XXII. 

A   DESCRIPTION   OF  THE  WORK  OF  THE  TUSKEGEE 
INSTITUTE. 

The  reader  has  doubtless  noted  that  much 
space  has  been  occupied  in  this  volume  in  detail 
ing  the  history  of  the  Tuskegee  Institute,  and  to 
the  casual  reader  this  may  have  appeared  out  of 
place  in  an  autobiography.  When  it  is  borne  in 
mind,  however,  that  the  whole  of  my  time, 
thought  and  energy,  for  the  past  eighteen  years, 
have  been  devoted  to  the  building  up  of  this 
Institute,  it  will  be  conceded  that  in  any  auto 
biography  of  mine,  a  history  of  the  Tuskegee 
Institute  is  unavoidable  and  necessary.  When 
the  history  of  Tuskegee  Institute,  since  its  found 
ing  until  now,  shall  be  completely  written,  you 
will  have  also  a  history  of  my  life  for  the  same, 
space  of  time.  It  shall  be  my  purpose  in  this 
chapter,  therefore,  to  give  some  definite  idea  of 
the  extent  to  which  the  Institute  has  grown,  and 
also  to  describe  with  some  degree  of  accuracy 
the  work  that  is  being  accomplished  there  in  its 
various  departments,  viz :  Agricultural,  mechan 
ical,  domestic  science,  nurse  training,  musical, 
Bible  training,  and  academical  departments. 

As   has   been   said   many   times    before,    the 

24  405 


406  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

school  began  in  1881  with  only  the  State  appro 
priation  of  $2,000  per  annum,  specifically  for  the 
payment  of  teachers'  salaries  and  for  no  other 
purpose.  The  method  by  which  we  have  suc 
ceeded  in  securing  the  2,267  acres  of  land  which 
the  school  now  owns  has  heretofore  been  described. 
These  2,267  acres  of  land  are  mainly  comprised 
in  two  tracts.  The  tract  that  forms  the  site  of 
the  Institute  is  composed  of  835  acres,  and  is 
known  as  the  "home  farm."  The  other  large 
tract,  which  is  about  four  miles  southeast  of  the 
Institute,  composed  of  800  acres,  is  known  as 
"Marshall  farm." 

Upon  the  home  farm  is  located  the  42  buildings, 
counting  large  and  small,  which  make  up  the 
Tuskegee  Institute.  Of  these  42  buildings,  Ala 
bama,  Davidson,  Huntington,  Cassedy  and  Sci 
ence,  Halls,  the  Agricultural  Trades  and  Laun 
dry  Buildings,  and  the  Chapel  are  built  of  brick. 
There  are  also  two  large  frame  halls — Porter  Hall 
which  was  the  first  building  built  of  the  Tuske 
gee  group,  and  Phelps  Hall,  a  commodious  and 
well  appointed  structure  dedicated  to  the  Bible 
Training  department.  The  other  buildings  are 
smaller  frame  buildings  and  various  cottages 
used  for  commissary,  store  rooms,  recitation 
rooms,  dormitories  and  teachers'  residences. 
There  are  also  the  Shop  and  Saw  Mill,  with 
Engine  Rooms  and  Dynamo  in  conjunction. 


BOOKER  T.WASHINGTON.  407 

The  brickyard,  where  all  the  bricks  that 
have  been  used  in  building  our  brick  buildings 
were  made,  is  also  situated  near  the  school. 
Last  year  alone  the  brickyard  made  1,500,000 
bricks.  It  is  equipped  with  excellent  and 
improved  machinery  for  brickmaking,  and  is 
under  the  immediate  supervision  of  Mr.  William 
Gregory,  a  gra'duate  of  Tuskegee.  The  total 
valuation  of  the  property,  including  the  yards  and 
all  buildings,  the  home  and  the  Marshall  farms  is 
placed  at  $300,000.  This  does  not  include  the 
endowment  fund. 

The  Agricultural  Department  of  the  school  has 
at  its  head  Prof.  G.  W.  Carver,  a  graduate  of  the 
Iowa  State  University,  and  a  man  of  experience 
as  a  scientific  farmer  and  a  scientist  of  no  mean 
acquirements.  He  has  8  assistants  who  help  in 
looking  after  the  divisions  of  dairying,  stock- 
raising,  horticulture  and  truck  farming  embraced 
in  this  department.  The  State  of  Alabama  ap 
propriates  annually  the  sum  of  $1,500  for  the 
maintenance  of  an  agricultural  experiment  station 
in  connection  with  our  agricultural  department. 
Some  of  the  experiments  of  Prof.  Carver  have 
attracted  much  attention,  and  it  is  recognized  that 
his  conduct  of  the  station  is  doing  much  to  show 
what  improvements  upon  the  old  methods  of  farm 
ing  may  be  wrought  by  scientific  agriculture. 
This  department  is  well  housed  in  a  beautiful  brick 


408  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

building,  containing  a  well  equipped  chemical 
laboratory,  erected  at  a  cost  of  $10,000,  adapted 
to  the  purposes  of  agricultural  experiment,  and 
other  apparatus  necessary  for  the  dairy  and  other 
divisions. 

It  is  through  the  direction  of  the  Agricultural 
department  that  the  vast  amount  of  farm  and 
garden  products,  used  by  the  1,200  people  con 
stituting  the  population  of  the  school  when  in 
session,  is  grown.  About  135  acres  of  the  home 
farm  are  devoted  to  the  raising  of  vegetables, 
strawberries,  grapes,  and  other  fruits.  The 
Marshall  farm,  with  350  acres  in  cultivation,  is 
utilized  for  the  growing  of  corn,  sugar  cane  (from 
which  syrup  is  made),  potatoes,  grain,  hay  and 
other  farm  products. 

Mr.  J.  N.  Galloway  is  the  manager  of  the 
Marshall  farm.  It  is  worked  by  student  labor, 
keeping  from  thirty  to  forty-five  boys  on  it  con 
stantly.  There  is  also  a  night  school  upon  this  farm, 
for  the  accomodation  of  students  who  work  there, 
which  is  a  branch  of  the  main  night  school  at  the 
Institute.  At  present  the  farm  night  school 
requires  the  services  of  two  teachers. 

The  Marshall  farm  not  only  produces  a  large 
amount  of  the  farm  products  that  are  used  by  the 
school  and  its  800  head  of  live  stock,  counting 
horses,  mules,  cows,  oxen,  sheep  and  hogs,  but 
also  furnishes  opportunity  for  students  to  learn 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  409 

the  art  and  science  of  farming,  at  the  same  time 
attending  night  school  and  making  something 
above  expenses  to  be  used  when  the  student 
enters  day  school. 

A  large  portion  of  the  Marshall  farm,  about 
400  acres,  is  utilized  as  pasture  for  the  dry  cows 
and  beef  cattle.  Everything  grown  upon  the 
farm  is  sold  to  the  school  at  market  prices.  The 
expenses  of  running  the  farm  are  also  accurately 
kept.  At  the  end  of  the  year  a  balance  is  struck. 
Last  year  the  Marshall  farm  come  out  over  $500 
ahead,  including  in  the  expense  account  the  salary 
of  the  manager. 

The  mechanical  department  of  the  institution 
is  now  housed  in  the  well  equipped  trades  build 
ing,  recently  completed  at  a  cost  of  $36,000.  It 
is  known  as  the  Slater-Armstrong  Memorial 
Trades  Building.  It  was  dedicated  and  formally 
opened  on  Wednesday,  January  10,  1900,  and  is 
the  largest  building  on  the  Tuskegee  Institute 
grounds,  and  stands  between  the  Agricultural 
Building  and  the  new  chapeL  The  shape  is  that 
of  a  double  Greek  cross,  having  an  open  court 
85x112  feet  in  the  center.  When  completed,  it 
will  measure  283x300  feet,  the  main  or  central 
portion  being  two  stories  high,  the  wings  one 
story.  This  measurement  does  not  include  a 
room  for  the  sawmill,  which  is  to  come  at  the 
extreme  rear  end.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  suf- 


410  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

ficient  money  has  not  yet  been  obtained,  the  rear 
portion  of  the  building,  consisting  of  seven  rooms, 
has  not  been  completed.  It  is  built  entirely  of 
brick,  and  contains  twenty-seven  rooms.  In  round 
numbers,  it  took  ten  hundred  thousand  bricks  to 
construct  the  building  thus  far,  and  every  one  of 
these  bricks  was  made  by  students  under  the  in 
structor  in  brickmaking,  and  laid  in  the  wall  by 
students  under  the  instructor  of  bricklaying. 
The  plans  and  specifications  of  the  building  were 
drawn  by  Mr.  R.  R.  Taylor,  formerly  in  charge 
of  the  architectural  and  mechanical  drawing  de 
partment  of  the  Institute.  The  general  oversight 
of  both  the  planning  and  construction  was,  of 
course,  exercised  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Washington, 
Director  of  Industries. 

The  interior  arrangements  of  the  building  are 
splendidly  suited  to  the  teaching  of  the  trades. 
The  rooms,  while  varying  in  size  from  37x42,  the 
smallest,  to  37x85,  the  largest,  will  average 
37x55,  the  ceiling  being  13  feet  high.  On  the  first 
floor  there  are  the  Director's  office,  reading  room, 
exhibit  room,  wheelwright  shop,  blacksmith  shop, 
tin  shop,  printing  office,  carpenter  shop,  repair 
shop,  woodworking  machine  room,  ironworking 
machine  room,  foundry,  brickmaking  and  plaster 
ing  rooms,  general  stock  and  supply  room,  and  a 
boiler  and  engine  room.  The  second  floor  con 
tains  the  mechanical  drawing  room,  harness  shop, 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  411 

paint  shop,  tailor  shop,  shoe  shop,  and  electrical 
laboratory,  and  a  room  for  carriage  trimming  and 
upholstering.  Each  shop  has  a  cloak  and  tool 
room  connected  with  it.  Better  lighted  rooms 
could  scarcely  be  found  in  any  building.  Each  shop 
receives  light  from  two  sides  and  end.  The 
office,  reading  room,  and  exhibit  room  are  finished 
with  wainscoting  to  window  sills,  and  plastered 
from  there  up  and  overhead.  In  the  drawing 
rooms  the  walls  are  plastered,  but  overhead  the 
ceiling  of  this  room  is  of  yellow  pine,  panelled  so 
as  to  show  design.  This  ceiling  is  painted  white. 
The  other  rooms  are  not  plastered  or  sealed,  but 
have  what  is  called  a  yellow  ochre  finish  on  the 
walls.  The  machinery  in  the  building  is  run  by 
a  iis-horse  power  engine  and  75-horse  power 
boiler,  both  donated  by  Mr.  C.  P.  Huntington,  of 
New  York. 

Each  division  is  well  supplied  with  all  of  the 
tools,  appliances  and  machinery  necessary  to  its 
successful  working  and  to  the  accurate  teaching 
of  the  trades.  The  director  of  this  large  and  im 
portant  department  is  Mr.  J.  H.  Washington, 
who  has  under  him  twenty-two  instructors  for  the 
various  divisions. 

The  department  for  the  teaching  of  the  Domestic 
Sciences  has  for  its  directress  Mrs.  Booker  T. 
Washington.  This  department  embraces  laun 
dering,  cooking,  dressmaking,  plain  sewing, 


412  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

millinery  and  mattress  making.  It  is  at  present 
housed  in  several  small  frame  buildings,  except 
the.  laundry,  which  is  located  in  a  brick  building. 
Friends  have  already  given  money  for  the  erec 
tion  and  equipment  of  a  building  for  this  depart 
ment.  The  foundation  of  this  building  has  already 
been  laid  and  within  a  year  we  hope  to  have  the 
divisions  of  this  department  permanently  located 
in  it.  Not  only  are  the  trades  above  named 
taught  in  this  department,  but  the  young  women, 
under  the  motherly  direction  of  Mrs.  Booker  T. 
Washington,  are  taught  the  duties  of  systematic 
and  orderly  housekeeping  and  duties  pertaining 
thereto. 

The  nurse  training  department  is  run  in  con 
nection  with  the  school  hospital  and  has  for  its 
instructors  our  resident  physician  and  a  com 
petent  trained  nurse.  It  has  not  constituted  a 
separate  department,  but  has  formed  one  of  the 
divisions  under  the  Director  of  the  Mechanical 
Department.  The  increasing  demand  for  trained 
nurses  in  the  South  has  necessitated  the  establish 
ment  of  a  regular  Training  School  for  Nurses  in 
connection  with  the  school  hospital. 

A  complete  course  of  three  years  has  been 
adopted  of  practical  and  theoretical  work  in  the 
wards  of  the  hospital;  two  years  of  which  con 
sist  of  daily  work  and  instruction  in  the  hospital, 
and  the  third  year  of  lectures  and  bedside  instruc- 


OH 

fo  ' 
O 

£ 

o 

00 
< 

O  06 
O  § 
O  ^ 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  417 

tions,  while  one  or  two  days  of  each  week  are 
devoted  to  hospital  work.  There  are  special  pro 
visions  for  those  who  apply  for  this  department 
only.  The  school  is  open  also  to  those  who  do 
not  wish  to  follow  the  work  as  a  profession,  but 
desire  to  know  how  to  intelligently  care  for  the 
sick. 

The  division  of  music  is  under  the  supervision 
of  the  Director  of  the  Academic  Department,  and 
like  the  nurse  training  department,  it  has  not  con 
stituted  an  independent  department.  While  the 
study  of  music  has  always  been  encouraged  at 
Tuskegee,  and  considerable  work  has  been  done, 
we  have  been  able  only  within  the  last  few  years 
to  furnish  a  systematic  and  thorough  course  of 
study.  The  course  in  pianoforte  embraces  four 
years.  The  institution  owns  eight  pianos,  two 
cabinet  organs  and  a  library  of  music.  Vocal 
music  is  taught  to  the  classes  in  the  academic 
department  throughout  the  entire  course. 

Tuskegee  students  are  famous  for  their  fine 
singing  of  plantation  melodies,  and  it  is  the  object 
of  the  Institute  to  make  these  old,  sweet,  slave 
songs  a  source  of  pride  and  pleasure  to  the 
students. 

There  are  at  Tuskegee  the  following 
musical  organizations:  A  choir,  consisting  of 
seventy-five  voices;  a  choral  society,  consisting 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  voices,  organized  for  the 


418  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

study  of  music  from  the  masters;  glee  club,  con 
sisting  of  forty  male  voices;  glee  club,  consisting 
of  twenty  female  voices;  male  quartette,  whose 
work  is  to  travel  in  the  North.  The  institution 
maintains  a  splendid  brass  band  of  thirty  pieces, 
which  is  instructed  by  a  competent  director, 
employed  by  the  school.  Any  student,  possessing 
knowledge  of  wind  instruments,  will  be  given  a 
chance  to  try  for  the  band;  but  this  knowledge 
is  not  essential  to  membership.  The  band  plays 
every  school  day  morning  for  inspection  and  drill. 

One  of  the  most  important  branches  of  the 
Music  Department  is  the  Orchestra,  which  con 
sists  of  fourteen  pieces.  The  same  rule  regard 
ing  membership  in  the  band  holds  good  for  the 
Orchestra.  The  Orchestra  plays  every  week 
night  at  evening  devotions.  Many  students  who 
have  played  in  the  Orchestra  have  developed 
into  competent  musicians.  The  director  of  the 
band  has  charge  of  the  Orchestra.  All  students 
belonging  to  the  Orchestra  are  subject  to  certain 
rules  governing  this  organization. 

The  Bible  Training  Department  was  established 
in  1893.  The  desire  for  increased  opportuni 
ties  for  those  who  wish  to  fit  themselves  for 
the  ministry,  or  other  forms  of  Christian  work  in 
the  South,  had  been  long  felt.  To  meet  this 
need,  a  generous  lady  in  New  York  erected  at 
Tuskegee  a  building  called  Phelps  Hall,  a  picture 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  419 

of  which  is  herewith  given,  containing  a  chapel, 
library,  reading  room,  office,  three  recitation 
rooms  and  forty  sleeping  rooms,  to  be  used  as  a 
Bible  School.  The  donor  of  this  building  fur 
nished  each  room  in  the  most  comfortable  and 
convenient  manner,  making  it  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  desirable  buildings  on  the  school 
grounds.  The  instruction  is  wholly  undenomina 
tional.  It  is  the  aim  of  this  new  department  to 
help  all  denominations,  and  not  to  antagonize  any. 
The  Bible  School  is  not  in  opposition  to  any 
other  theological  work  now  being  done,  but  it  is 
simply  a  means  of  helping.  The  faculty  is  com 
posed  of  some. of  the  strongest  men  in  the  country. 
Rev.  Edgar  J.  Penney  is  in  charge  of  the  work, 
assisted  by  Rev.  B.  H.  Peterson,  Rt.  Rev.  B.  T. 
Tanner,  Rev.  C.  O.  Boothe,  D.  D.,  and  Rt.  Rev. 
George  W.  Clinton  have  been  engaged  to  give  a 
regular  course  of  lectures  during  each  term. 

The  members  of  the  Bible  School  are  required 
to  do  mission  work  on  the  Sabbath  in  the  neigh 
boring  churches — preaching  and  teaching  in  the 
Sunday  Schools  whenever  their  services  are 
needed,  and  to  make  weekly  reports  in  writing  of 
the  work  done. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  have  a  special  call  to  the 
ministry  to  enter  the  Bible  School  at  Tuskegee. 
Many  who  desire  to  do  only  missionary  work  or 
become  intelligent  teachers  of  the  Bible  in  the 


420         THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

Sunday  Schools,  will  be  greatly  benefited  and 
helped;  indeed,  quite  a  few  of  those  who  are  now 
members  of  this  department  are  fitting  them 
selves  for  this  kind  of  work. 

The  demand  for  an  educated  ministry  is  grow 
ing  throughout  the  South,  and  those  who  expect 
to  preach  must  prepare  themselves  for  the  work. 

This  department  was  established  for  the 
express  purpose  of  giving  colored  men  and 
women  a  knowledge  of  the  English  Bible; 
implanting  in  their  hearts  a  noble  ambition  to  go 
out  into  the  dark  and  benighted  districts  of  the 
South  and  give  their  lives  for  the  elevation  and 
Christianizing  of  the  South.  Last  year  eighty- 
three  students  attended  this  department.  This 
was  the  largest  attendance  since  the  department 
was  founded. 

Last,  but  not  least,  I  mention  the  Academic 
Department,  which  offers  a  thorough  course  of 
instruction,  nearly,  if  not  quite,  equal  to  the  high 
school  courses  of  the  Northern  and  Western 
States.  No  language,  however,  except  English, 
is  taught.  It  is  our  aim  to  correlate  the  work  of 
the  Academic  Department  with  the  Industrial 
Departments,  and  it  is  the  policy  of  the  school 
not  to  give  any  student  a  diploma  of  graduation 
who  has  not  completed  the  course  in  at  least  one 
division  of  one  or  another  of  the  industrial 
departments. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  421 

Last  year,  of  the  1,164  students  who  attended 
the  Institute,  except  a  part  of  those  in  the  Bible 
Training  School,  all  were  taking  studies  in  this 
department,  either  in  the  night  or  day  school, 
they  being  about  equally  divided  between  the 
night  and  the  day  school. 

The  night  school  course  is  so  arranged  that  a 
student  is  enabled  to  do  just  half  the  amount  of 
work  in  night  school  as  in  day  school.  A  student 
in  night  school  will  therefore  cover  a  year's  work, 
as  laid  out  for  day  school  students,  in  two  years. 

Last  year  there  were  77  graduates  from  all  of 
the  departments. 

I  cannot  close  this  chapter  without  making 
some  special  reference  to  the  chapel  at  Tuskegee, 
which  is  regarded  as  the  architectural  gem  of  the 
Tuskegee  group.  It  was  planned  by  Mr.  R.  R. 
Taylor,  who  was  then  our  teacher  in  architecture 
and  mechanical  drawing.  The  work  of  con 
struction,  even  to  the  making  of  the  bricks,  was 
done  wholly  by  students.  The  cost  of  erection 
of  the  building  was  valued  at  $30,000.00. 

The  following  is  a  description  of  the  building, 
a  cut  of  which  is  also  given  in  this  volume :  The 
plan  of  the  chapel  is  that  of  a  Greek  cross,  the 
main  axis  extending  from  northeast  to  southwest. 
The  extreme  dimensions  from  northeast  to  south 
west,  extending  through  nave  and  choir,  is.  154 
feet  6  inches.  The  dimensions  from  northwest  to 


422  THE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  AND  WORK, 

southeast,  through  transepts,  is  106  feet.  The 
roof  is  of  the  hammer  beam  construction.  The 
clear  span  of  the  main  trusses  is  63  feet,  which  is 
the  width  of  the  nave  and  transept.  The  angle 
trusses  have  a  clear  span  of  87  feet,  projections 
from  the  walls  under  trusses  slightly  decreasing 
the  span.  The  gallery  on  back  is  30  feet  wide, 
extending  over  girls'  cloak  room  and  12  feet  into 
main  auditorium. 

In  the  rear  are  choir  room,  study  for  minister, 
and  two  small  vestibules,  one  oft  either  side  of 
chapel,  giving  entrance  to  choir  room,  study  and 
main  auditorium.  A  large  basement  is  provided 
and  in  this  the  steam  heating  plant  is  located.  At 
the  northeast  end  of  the  auditorium  is  the  pulpit 
platform,  which  is  large  enough  to  seat  the  entire 
faculty  of  eighty-eight  members.  This  platform 
is  2  feet  6  inches  above  the  main  floor.  Immedi 
ately  behind  this  and  elevated  3  feet  above  it,  is 
the  choir  stand,  with  seating  capacity  for  150 
persons.  The  chapel  is  sufficiently  supplied  with 
windows  to  give  abundant  light  and  ventilation,  a 
very  pretty  effect  being  secured  by  the  use  of 
delicately  tinted  colored  glass. 

The  woodwork  is  all  of  yellow  pine  and  hard 
oil  finish,  except  the  floor  which  is  of  oak.  The 
seating  capacity  of  the  auditorium  is  2,400.  One 
million  two  hundred  thousand  bricks  were  used  in 
the  construction,  all  made  and  laid  by  students. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.  423 

All  the  mouldings,  casings  and  caps  used  were 
made  by  students.  The  floor  is  bowled.  The 
height  of  the  walls  from  top  of  floor  is  24  feet  6 
inches;  from  floor  line  to  highest  point  of  ceiling, 
48  feet  6  inches.  The  height  of  tower  from  line 
of  ground  to  top  of  cross  which  terminates  it,  is 
105  feet.  The  electric  lighting  is  from  three 
main  chandeliers,  with  thirty  lights  each,  ten  of 
two  lights  each,  twelve  of  one  light  each,  and 
from  a  reflecting  disc  of  forty  lights  over  the 
choir  stand. 


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